SC chides Chhattisgarh govt for arming Salwa civilians
The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Chhattisgarh government on an allegation of arming people, in the name of the Salwa Judum movement, to counter Naxals in the state.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Chhattisgarh government on an allegation of arming people, in the name of the Salwa Judum movement, to counter Naxals in the state.
A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice Aftab Alam said: ���You (state) cannot give arms to somebody and allow him to kill. ���It is a question of law and order. You (state government) cannot give arms to somebody (a civilian) and allow him to kill. You will be an abettor of the offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code,��� the court said.
The state counsel was trying to defend the government taking the plea that the people in the state were retaliating to the Naxal menace on their own and the state was not arming them.
The court said that a neutral agency should inquire and assess whether people had joined Judum camps on their own. The apex court���s remarks came during the hearing of two petitions seeking a direction to the state government to refrain from allegedly supporting and encouraging the Salwa Judum, a people���s movement to counter Naxalism.
The state government had earlier denied that Judum was a state-sponsored movement and said that action shall be taken if any Judum activist transgresses the confines of the law.
The PILs also alleged that the condition in Judum camps was bad and people involved in the movement should be allowed to go back to the forests in view of the upcoming sowing season.
During the hearing, additional solicitor-general Gopal Subramanium appearing for the Centre said he met officials of the Intelligence Bureau and concerned ministry on the issue. He said the government had asked the director, National Institute of Criminology, to probe the ground situation in these camps. He said if the report does not satisfy the court, the Centre would be open to further suggestions.
A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice Aftab Alam said: ���You (state) cannot give arms to somebody and allow him to kill. ���It is a question of law and order. You (state government) cannot give arms to somebody (a civilian) and allow him to kill. You will be an abettor of the offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code,��� the court said.
The state counsel was trying to defend the government taking the plea that the people in the state were retaliating to the Naxal menace on their own and the state was not arming them.
The court said that a neutral agency should inquire and assess whether people had joined Judum camps on their own. The apex court���s remarks came during the hearing of two petitions seeking a direction to the state government to refrain from allegedly supporting and encouraging the Salwa Judum, a people���s movement to counter Naxalism.
The state government had earlier denied that Judum was a state-sponsored movement and said that action shall be taken if any Judum activist transgresses the confines of the law.
The PILs also alleged that the condition in Judum camps was bad and people involved in the movement should be allowed to go back to the forests in view of the upcoming sowing season.
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During the hearing, additional solicitor-general Gopal Subramanium appearing for the Centre said he met officials of the Intelligence Bureau and concerned ministry on the issue. He said the government had asked the director, National Institute of Criminology, to probe the ground situation in these camps. He said if the report does not satisfy the court, the Centre would be open to further suggestions.
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