Top court shuns pleas on R-Day riots, says govt is taking action

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain pleas seeking time-bound probe, including by an apex court-appointed commission, into the tractor rally violence in the national capital on the Republic Day saying the government is already inquiring the matter and the Prime Minister has stated that law will take its own course.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde, which observed that the apex court does not want to “interfere at this stage”, said it is not condoning the violence and the petitioners can make representation before the government. “We are sure that government is inquiring into it and taking appropriate action. We have read statement made by the Prime Minister in the press that law will take its own course. That means they are inquiring into it,” said the bench, also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

“We do not want to interfere in it at this stage. You can go and file representation before them (authorities),” the bench said.

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, advocate Vishal Tiwari, who had filed one of the pleas, raised apprehension on whether all the sides will be heard during the inquiry by the authorities. “How can you assume that it will be one-sided? They are doing it and obviously they will investigate everything,” the bench said.

The top court was dealing with three separate petitions, including the one filed by Tiwari who had sought setting up of a three-member inquiry commission.