SC issues notice to centre on Baba Ramdev's eviction

Gives two weeks to explain midnight police action on peaceful protesters

PTI | June 4, 2011


Policemen at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday morning
Policemen at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday morning

Taking suo motu cognisance of forceful eviction of yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his followers from the Ramlila grounds here, the supreme court on Monday sought the centre's response on the incident.

A vacation bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatenter Kumar issued notices to the home secretary, chief secretary of Delhi, Delhi administration, and Delhi police commissioner asking them to respond within two weeks.

The court asked them to reply as to what were the circumstances under which the people had to be dispersed in the midnight by the use of force.

The court posted the matter for hearing in the second week of July. However, the court declined to entertain a petition filed by advocate Ajay Aggarwal on the issue.

The bench expressed its displeasure that before the matter came up for hearing before it, the entire contents of the petition were leaked to the media.

Police had cracked down on Baba Ramdev and thousands of his supporters at Ramlila Maidan on Saturday night, forcibly ending their hunger strike on corruption and black money issues.

When the advocate mentioned the petition, the bench interrupted him and expressed displeasure that its contents were leaked.

"We are shocked to learn that before the file reaches us, the contents have been published in the media. All the grounds raised in the petition have been published in the newspaper. Further it has been reported that the matter has been listed for hearing today at 10:30 am. Why it is so?" the bench asked.

The bench said it has not seen the file about the matter which has already come in the media.

"In view of this, though it is not able to probe how the contents of the petition are leaked, we are not inclined to entertain this petition," the bench said.

The petitioner had sought a direction to the government to issue a white paper on the entire episode leading to the eviction of the yoga guru and the alleged barbaric police action against his followers.

The petition said the government should explain the entire sequence of events, details of negotiations and the so-called deal between the government and Ramdev.

Earlier Report:

Hours after indications that the centre would provide written assurances on Baba Ramdev's demands, Delhi police stormed the venue of the peaceful fast at Ramlila Maidan on Saturday night, detained Baba Ramdev and dispersed thousands of his supporters.

The Delhi Police cancelled permission for the camp at Ramlila Maidan, clamped Section 144 around the venue, rained lathis and fired teargas shells on Baba Ramdev's supporters.

Later, the Delhi Police clarified that the midnight action was a political decision and that the police did not apprehend any law and order problems from the peaceful fast.

Do chek out related photo story here.

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