SC declines interim relief

The apex court declines to pass any order on a petition seeking to end their 'harassment' by the Rajasthan Police, reports Satya Prakash.

A Gujjar group on Monday moved the Supreme Court complaining that the community members were being harassed by the police. Earlier, the court had ordered the police chiefs of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi to take action against those who damaged public and private properties during the recent agitation for inclusion of Gujjars in the list of Scheduled Tribes.

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Alleging that the violence during the agitation was the handiwork of centain vested interests, petitioner Akhil Bhartiya Gujjar Vikas Sangathan demanded a CBI probe into the vandalism and sought protection of the community from "harassment" by the police. Petitioner's counsel Surat Singh requested the court to restrain the police from acting against innocent Gujjars because it violated their fundamental rights. However, a Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat refused to give any interim relief to the petitioner organisation.

The court posted the matter for hearing on June 18 when it would consider the response filed by the four police chiefs to its suo motu notice on the violence and damage to public and private properties during the agitation.

The petitioner alleged that in their "over zealousness" to implement the June 5 order of the court, police were registering cases even against those Gujjars who were in no way connected with the agitation. On June 5, taking cognizance of media reports on large-scale destruction properties during the week-long stir, it had said if no action had been taken against the offenders as yet, the police chiefs should also indicate the cause behind the inaction.