SC WANTS PEACE, HAS LIMITS: CJI

There is tremendous pressure on courts to step in to prevent violence but the power of courts in such cases is limited and they are not equipped to prevent riots, CJI SA Bobde remarked in open court on Monday, while hearing a plea by 10 victims of the recent Delhi riots.

NEW DELHI: There is tremendous pressure on courts to step in to prevent violence but the power of courts in such cases is limited and they are not equipped to prevent riots, Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde said in open court on Monday, while hearing a plea by 10 victims of Delhi riots who were seeking that the Army be called in to stop the violence and that cases be registered for alleged hate speech against four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

Though the riots, which began on February 23, have ebbed since February 26, there is uncertainty in the Capital, highlighted by fears in various parts of the city on March 1 stokes by rumours of the violence rekindling.

Courts and judges desire peace, but they can step in only after such incidents have happened, CJI Bobde said when senior counsel Colin Gonsalves mentioned the matter on behalf of the petitioners for an urgent listing, citing more loss of life each day.

“We don’t want people to die… We want peace. But you must understand, we are not equipped to prevent such things from happening. We can only come into scene after such riots have happened. Court can never prevent such things. We read newspapers. There is so much pressure on us. But we cannot prevent such things,” Bobde said.

The CJI, however, agreed to hear the case on Wednesday.