Nainital High Court strict regarding Purola incident
The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the state government to take legal action in the matter of communal tension in Purola of Uttarkashi. Along with this, the government has also been asked to reply in three weeks. The court has also banned any kind of rhetoric and debate on social media regarding this matter. A public interest litigation filed by Delhi’s Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) was heard on Thursday in a double bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal. On behalf of the petitioner, it was said that in a case of Haridwar, the Supreme Court had given instructions to the Director General of Police that wherever the police department was found to have violated sections 153A, 153B, 295A and 505 of the Indian Penal Procedure Code. If the matter is visible, the police affairs department should take suo motu cognizance of the matter without waiting for the complaint and take necessary action against the accused.
It was said on behalf of the petitioner that the same incident has also come to light in Purola, Uttarakhand, but the police department and the government are not taking any concrete steps. Quoting a letter from the Hindu organisation, the petitioner said that no charges have been registered in the matter by the Uttarkashi district administration and no action has been taken against the accused. On behalf of the petitioner, it has been said that in the letter, targeting the people of the Muslim community, they have been threatened to leave the shop, business as well as Jaunpur Valley, otherwise it has been said to block the Jamuna bridge. It was also stated on behalf of the petitioner that the Hindu Mahapanchayat was convened by Hindu organizations on Thursday, 15th June itself, due to which the atmosphere in the valley was feared to deteriorate.
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On the other hand, Advocate General SN Babulkar and Chief Standing Counsel CS Rawat appeared in the court on behalf of the government and told the court that the petition was politically motivated. The petitioner has no knowledge of the facts. This incident did not happen in Tehri district but in Purola of Uttarkashi. Along with this, concrete steps have been taken by the government and the police. Section 144 has been imposed in the entire area. Two accused have been arrested, after the intervention of the government, the Mahapanchayat convened on June 15 has been postponed. The DGP has kept an eye on the whole incident, he also told the court that the fact in the petition has been told one-sided. Mahapanchayat has been called from the other side also. The Advocate General opposed the petition saying that no action was ever taken by the petitioner regarding the riots and communal violence in Delhi.
After hearing both the sides, the court has asked the government to submit an affidavit in three weeks regarding the entire episode. Along with this, to stop the rumours, a ban has been issued on social media to debate and make any kind of material viral. On behalf of the petitioner, it was said that he had also filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding this matter, but the apex court refused to hear the matter. Along with this, exemption was given to file a petition in the Uttarakhand High Court. It is worth mentioning that in Uttarkashi’s Purola, tension has been prevailing for a long time due to the abduction of a minor. Two youths have been arrested in this case.
