SC slams Haryana for delay in arrest
The Supreme Court on Friday attacked the Haryana government for delay in arresting 60 accused in the killing of two dalits and torching of houses allegedly by upper caste people at Mirchpur village of Hisar district and said the authorities will have to answer more questions.
“We will ask you (state government) more questions on the issue,” a bench comprising Justices G.S. Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly said when Haryana government said it has arrested all the accused in compliance with its August 26 order.
The bench said it will ask questions to authorities as they swung into action only after the intervention of the apex court.
“Why did you arrest the culprits pursuant to the order of this court and not before?” the bench said adding it would like to know from where the accused persons were arrested.
“From where did you arrest the accused? From their village or from your own state or from Rajasthan or Punjab”, the bench said when the state government counsel submitted that all the 60 accused have been arrested and it has taken necessary steps to supply two quintals of rice to the affected family in compliance with its orders.
While concluding the hearing, the Bench said “these are age-old problems prevalent in large areas of the country and it will take time to change”.
It asked the counsel for victims Collin Gonsalves to respond to the report of Harayana government.
The bench wanted to fix an early hearing but the state government’s counsel sought eight weeks time as a cooling up period.
However, the bench said all the required replies and rejoinders have to be completed within four weeks and posted the matter for October 25.
The Supreme Court had on August 26 directed the Haryana government to make all possible efforts to arrest by September 10 all the accused involved in the April 21 incident in which 150 houses belonging to dalits were set on fire.
—PTI
Post new comment