SC pulls up Bengal govt, says pay all Nandigram victims

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the West Bengal Government to pay compensation to all victims of the Nandigram police firing in which 14 protesters were killed and over 100 injured.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the West Bengal Government to pay compensation to all victims of the Nandigram police firing in which 14 protesters were killed and over 100 injured. The state wanted to pay compensation to only those who were not involved in anti-police violence.

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The bench pulled up the state government for delaying payment of compensation to those injured in the March 14, 2007 firing and ordered it to comply with its order.

It fixed December 2 to hear the CBI’s plea for vacating a stay on initiating criminal proceedings against the erring police officials as the state demanded the probe be handed to an “independent” agency. The Calcutta HC had ordered the CBI probe.

Counsel KK Venugopal told the court on behalf of the state government that the CBI was directly under the Centre and the state government did not expect a fair probe.

The court pulled up the CBI for not sharing its report on Nandigram with the West Bengal government after Venugopal said without going through the report the state will not be in a position to respond to the CBI’s application.

The SC said it had only stayed the Calcutta HC order to the CBI to initiate the criminal proceedings against the police officials allegedly responsible for the firing and not the order for payment of compensation.

Venugopal said those injured while throwing bombs at the police were not paid compensation. But the SC said, “The HC does not make distinction. Let us not make any distinction...”