Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The Uttarakhand High Court will hear on Thursday a plea by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights against an upcoming Mahapanchayat proposed to be organised in Purola by Hindutva organisations.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal agreed to hear the matter after it was mentioned by advocate Shahrukh Alam on Wednesday, according to media reports.
The counsel told the court that certain organisations have given an ultimatum to a particular community to leave the area before the mahapanchayat.
Alam added that there is urgency in the matter and the Supreme Court also granted the petitioner the liberty to approach the high court.
Earlier in the day, the plea was mentioned before the Supreme Court.
However, the vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah asked the petitioner to approach the high court first and also said that the petitioner should repose trust in the high court.
“Why this distrust of the high court? They also have jurisdiction. You should have some trust. Why this short-circuiting, we are not on merits or cause. Why do you distrust the administration?”
In furtherance of the liberty given by the Supreme Court to approach other authorities as per law, the petitioner has also sent representations to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of the Uttarakhand State. The petitioner has referred to the order passed by the Supreme Court directing the State to take suo motu action against hate speeches. Reference is also made to the Supreme Court order which directed the State to prevent hate speeches such as dharam sansad events.
Purola has been plunged into a communal frenzy over the alleged kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl by two men – a Muslim and a Hindu – on May 26, which has been termed a case of ‘Love Jihad’ by local residents. While both accused were arrested promptly, the incident provoked deep communal tension in the town, which eventually spread to neighbouring areas in the state. Over the following days, certain outfits reportedly held protests in several areas and attacked shops and houses of Muslims in Purola.
