Supreme Court declines early hearing of PIL for SIT probe into Saharanpur violence

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to hold early hearing of a plea seeking direction to the Uttar Pradesh government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of a sitting High Court judge to probe attacks on Dalits in Saharanpur.

The vacation bench of Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice Navin Sinha said there was no urgency, as PIL petitioner advocate Gaurav Yadav urged the bench to hold an early hearing of the plea. 

Seeking investigation by the SIT under the supervision of a sitting judge of the High Court, the petitioner also sought compensation to the families of those who lost their lives and those who suffered injuries.

Besides compensation, the petitioner also sought police protection to villagers to stop the victims and their families from fleeing the villages where people from weaker sections were attacked. 

Claiming that 30 to 40 people were still missing, the petitioner advocate said that 150 people have left their villages for safer places as they felt that both their lives and properties were not safe.

Referring to the attacks on Dalits by people belonging to the upper caste Thakur community, Yadav said that it was a violation of the victims right to life and to live with dignity. 

Alleging that the administration acted in a biased manner "intoxicated with casteism", the petitioner pointed to a "complete failure" of the law and order machinery as it failed to take any action against the perpetrators of the violence.