Govt seeks probe against those using courts ‘to protect Naxals’

NEW DELHI: The Union government has approached the Supreme Court for an “in-depth investigation” against individuals and organisations trying to use the constitutional courts of the country to shield Naxal militia, claiming that some motivated persons were able to fraudulently obtain “legal protection to the leftwing extremists” through various court orders.

An application moved by the Centre, through the MHA, urged the court to direct any central investigating agency, including the CBI or the NIA, to register a criminal case and carry out a comprehensive probe to identify individuals and organisations involved in litigation to protect violent maoist activities.

The plea, moved on Thursday, sought to investigate those “who have been conspiring, abetting and facilitating filing of petitions premised on false and fabricated evidence before this Hon’ble court (Supreme Court) as well as before the hon’ble high courts with a motive to either deter the security agencies to act against the left wing (Naxal) militia by imputing false charges on them or to screen off the left wing (Naxal) militia from being brought to justice by creating a false narrative of victimization before the hon’ble courts.”

The MHA moved this application in a petition filed by activist Himanshu Kumar in 2009, accusing Chhattisgarh police and central security forces of killing 17 tribals in two separate incidents in

Dantewda district that year.

Kumar’s petition also joined 12 villagers who corroborated the version of extra-judicial killings, accusing the security forces of killing two villagers from Velpocha and Nalkathong, along with the nine at Gompad, on October 1, 2009. It further held them responsible for the deaths of six villagers at Gachanpalli on September 17, 2009.