Mathura violence: HC adjourns hearing of PIL seeking CBI probe

Newstrack
Published on: 14 Jun 2016 3:49 PM GMT
Mathura violence: HC adjourns hearing of PIL seeking CBI probe
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Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday adjourned till July 5 the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation seeking CBI probe into the Jawaharbagh violence in Mathura, which had taken place on June 2 and claimed at least 28 lives.

In the PIL, the petitioner has also requested the court to direct the Mathura administration to cordon off the Jawaharbagh area, claiming that some conspirators are trying their best to destroy the evidence.

The petitioner has alleged that a powerful state cabinet minister and a Member of Parliament of the ruling Samajwadi Party are deeply involved in the matter and that is the reason why the state government was not allowing a CBI probe into the matter.

Hearing the PIL, filed by a Supreme Court lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vimlesh Kumar Shukla and Justice Amar Singh Chauhan had passed the above order.

As soon as the PIL was taken up for hearing, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay appearing in person apprised the court about the latest developments which had taken place in last three days of Mathura violence case and sought time for filing supplementary affidavit in the matter.

The court has granted him further time and also directed him to produce before the court a copy of the order dated June 13, 2016 passed by

Lucknow Bench of the High Court on a similar PIL.

The chief standing counsel Ramesh Upadhyay appearing on behalf of the state government has opposed the PIL, saying that a PIL having similar requests have already been dismissed by a Lucknow Bench on June 13.

The Centre and the state government have been named as respondents in the PIL.

In the PIL, it had also been alleged that there was a deeper conspiracy behind the episode as reflected in the fact that Jawaharbagh, where even demonstrations were not allowed, was given to Ramvriksha Yadav for organizing a satyagrah in 2014.

It was further stated in the PIL that as many as 80 LIU, horticulture department and district administration reports were sent to the state government since 2014, but it did not issue any direction for removing encroachment from the 280-acre Jawaharbagh. This indicates towards a deeper conspiracy and, therefore, a CBI probe is required into the matter.

A plea has also been taken that though a CBI probe was ordered when DySP Zia-ul-Haq and four others were killed in Pratapgrah, why the state government is not allowing a similar probe into the Mathura case where around 29 persons, including an SP and SHO, have been killed.

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