lajja

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the police chiefs of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to submit reports within 10 days detailing the action taken/proposed against those damaging public/private properties during the agitation for inclusion in Gurjar community in the Scheduled Tribes’ list.

Taking cognizance of media reports on large-scale destruction of properties during the week-long stir, a bench of justices Arijit Pasayat and Justice DK Jain said if no action had been taken against the offenders as yet, the police chiefs should also indicate the cause behind the inaction.

"It is a national shame when hordes of people are destroying public and private properties," the bench said, a day after the agitation was withdrawn following an agreement reached between Gurjar leaders and the Rajasthan Government that a judicial panel will look into their demand and submit a report within three months.

Noting that no preventive action appeared to have been taken to check the violence, the bench appointed senior advocate Rajiv Dhavan as amicus curiae to assist it in the case and fixed June 18 for further hearing.

"As the electronic media shows, the offenders feel that they have done some very heroic or laudable thing because they show their beaming faces when the TV camera is focused on them," the court observed. “…unfortunately it does not prima facie appear that any action has been taken against the offenders who were responsible for destruction of such properties,” it said.

The court said that the amicus curiae “may ask the TV channels concerned to provide the footage of the telecasts to the police authorities as also to him so that appropriate orders can be passed in the matter.”

Dhavan submitted that “even if there may be a right to propest in some cases, that does not give licence to anybody to destroy properties and/or indulge in acts of vandalism.” Those who called for the bandh had a vicarious responsibility to ensure that the protests are conducted in a peaceful manner, he added.

The court said the bandh caused considerable hardships to the general public and paralysed normal life to the extent that people reached their offices late and doctors could not attend to their patients.

It noted that the Supreme Court had earlier ordered recovery of compensation from violent protesters in Kerala for damaging public property.

source: Hindustan Times

ps: I am reading Lajja these days. A must read if you have any interest in politics and world events as such.