E-Paper
Probe laxity behind event: SC to govt
The petition, filed by a Jammu-based lawyer Supriya Pandita, questioned the role of the Centre, the Delhi government and the Delhi Police for risking the health of millions of citizens by allowing the huge congregation comprising foreign delegates.
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to examine a petition demanding inquiry into the aspects leading to the Tablighi Jamaat convention in the national capital last month.
The petition, filed by a Jammu-based lawyer Supriya Pandita, questioned the role of the Centre, the Delhi government and the Delhi Police for risking the health of millions of citizens by allowing the huge congregation comprising foreign delegates. The matter will be taken up by the court after two weeks.
The petition came up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices LN Rao and MM Shantanagouder. The court directed a copy of the petition to be served to the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Central government.
The Court also heard a related petition filed by Jamiat Ulama i-Hind which demanded an end to demonizing of Muslims following the Tablighi event. The petition raised objections to news reports naming the members of Tablighi Jamaat who were infected. Advocate Ejaz Maqbool argued that the petition had led to violence against members of the Muslim community in Karnataka.
The bench told Maqbool that the remedy for defamation against media organizations cannot be in a writ petition. Also, it questioned why the petition did not make Press Council of India (PCI) a party. Not inclined to pass any interim orders gagging the media, the court allowed the petition to join PCI as a party and posted it for hearing along with Pandita’s petition.
