NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to pass any order on a petition from the Akhil Bharatiya Gujjar Vikas Sangathan that seeks a direction to police chiefs of various States to stop harassing Gujjars following their agitation demanding Scheduled Tribe status.

A vacation Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and P.P. Naolekar asked counsel Surat Singh to approach amicus curiae Rajeev Dhavan on the matter. It would take up the case on June 18.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the large scale destruction of property, a vacation Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and D.K. Jain on June 5 directed the Directors-General of Police of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and the Commissioner of Police of Delhi to file affidavits on what actions were taken and/or were proposed to be taken against the offenders.

The court had described as "a national shame" the violence and destruction of property and appointed Mr. Dhavan to assist in the matter.

Counsel said police were entering Gujjar households and harassing them.

The petitioner submitted that police were abusing the apex court directive (to take action against those who damaged public property) by harassing innocent people and thereby committing a gross violation of human rights.

It said that it was possible that some agitators might have become overzealous in expressing their rights and some misguided elements might have gone beyond the limit of reasonable expression of their fundamental rights. But the entire community could not be penalised for the same.

The petitioner said a CBI enquiry should be ordered into the incidents to ascertain the facts. Till then, police should be directed to stop harassment of innocent people of the community.

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