New Delhi: The Supreme Court was on Friday told
that the decision on midnight crackdown on Yoga guru Ramdev
and his supporters was taken in advance by the Centre and
police implemented it to please their "political masters".
Advocate Rajeev Dhawan, assisting the apex court as
amicus curiae, referred to an interview of Home Minister P
Chidambram who had himself said a decision had been taken to
remove Ramdev out of the city if he goes ahead with the
agitation.
"This suggests that the decision had been taken but
suspended while talks were going on and when the talks failed
the police were told to enforce the decision," Dhavan told a
bench of justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar.
He rejected the claim of the government that it was not
aware of all the developments at the Ramlila Maidan where the
agitation was going on.
"It is not possible to believe that all information were
not sent to the Home Secretary and further it was not possible
to believe that it was not sent to the Home Minister," Dhawan
said adding "it was an abrupt operation in the midnight to
please their(police) political masters."
"The Home Minister and the Commissioner of Police were
working together to decide what is to be done to Baba Ramdev,"
he said.
He also contended the Centre was also planning to do the
same thing with Anna Hazare two months down the line by
arresting him in the morning but they could not.
The court was hearing the matter which it had on June 6
taken suo motu cognisance of the police action and asked the
Centre and Delhi Police to explain why it resorted to such an
action in the middle of the night.
Delhi Police, in its affidavit, denied the allegation
that it had used force and claimed teargas shells were fired
only after Ramdev's supporters turned violent and pelted
stones at the police.
Justifying its action, police had said the authorities
had granted permission to Ramdev to use the ground only to
hold a yoga camp and not for any other purpose.
Disagreeing with the stand of the police, Dhawan
contended the video footage of the incident showed lathis were
used by them on the supporters.
"I don't think police are telling the truth. Whether they
accept it or not, lathis were used in the night," he said
adding "I am astonished and concerned with the malafide action
by the police and the object was to remove Baba Ramdev at
midnight."
Earlier, police had accused Ramdev of being responsible
for the "entire mess" saying he should take the responsibility
for it.
PTI
First Published: Friday, December 16, 2011, 20:28