New Delhi: The Supreme Court today asked the
Chhattisgarh Government to place before it a status report
about steps taken by it to comply with recommendations of NHRC
for registering FIRs on alleged human rights violation by
Salwa Judum in which innocent people were killed.
"The State shall file a report as to what steps have
been taken to see that FIRs are registered in cases where no
FIRs have been registered, as pointed out in the report of
NHRC and what further steps have been taken to prosecute the
accused who have been already charge-sheeted by the police," a
bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said.
The order came amid state government's denial of
allegations that minors were among 3,000 Special Police
Officers(SPO) appointed and civilians were armed in its fight
against Naxals. Salwa Judum is a self-initiated anti-naxal
movement and widely believed to be backed by government.
"We deny all these allegations," senior counsel K K
Venugopal and Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state
government, said before a Bench which made it clear that
appointment of SPOs have to be done in accordance with law.
The court was hearing a PIL on which an NHRC probe was
ordered into the allegations by some academicians and social
activists that the state government was supporting the 'Salwa
Judum' (people's movement) to combat Naxalism.
rights violations.
The petitioners have also submitted that compensation
should be paid to the persons who lost their houses and
belongings by the acts of Naxalites.
The Bench asked petitioners to file a comprehensive
rehabilitation plan within four weeks and the State would also
be at liberty to file its objection, if any, to this Court.
It also took note of state government's submission that
schools, hospitals, ashrams and anganwadis have already been
vacated and they are no longer been used for camps or places
for shelter of the police force.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 18, 2010, 23:10