The Hindu : Front Page : Srikrishna to probe court violence

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Friday, Feb 27, 2009
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Front Page

Srikrishna to probe court violence

J. Venkatesan

“Transfer four police officers”

New Delhi: With the Tamil Nadu government unable to inform the Supreme Court under whose orders the police entered the Madras High Court premises and resorted to lathicharge on February 19, a three-judge Bench on Thursday ordered a probe into the incident by a retired judge of the apex court, B.N. Srikrishna.

On Wednesday, the court wanted to know from the government whether the police got permission to enter the High Court premises, and asked it to furnish the names of the police officers responsible for ordering the lathicharge.

On Thursday, Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati, appearing for the State, did not give a definite answer. He, however, gave details of the police force on the campus from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. He said the trouble started after some advocates, who went to the police station to surrender, insisted on registration of a case against Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy. He conceded that the police went inside the court halls without instructions in hot pursuit of a mob after stones were thrown at them and warnings to disperse failed to yield any result.

Not satisfied with the response, the Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal, hearing petitions filed by advocate Vaigai and others, ordered the judicial probe and sought an interim report within a week.

The Bench also directed that Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Rai Rathore and Deputy Commissioners Sarangan, Prem Anand Sinha and Panneer Selvam be transferred from Chennai.

Senior counsel K. Subramaniam, senior counsel R. Gandhi and Ms. Vaigai told the court that even now Mr. Vahanvati had not given the names of the officers responsible for the lathicharge.

Tamil Nadu Advocates Association president S. Prabhakaran said: “They are trying to suppress the whole thing. Seven judges had to run for their lives and take shelter in toilets to escape the police attack. Some invisible force is behind the attack and the court must find out who is behind this.”

Senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for 35 advocates, said: “The government must have conducted an in-house enquiry and by now they must know who the officers responsible are.”

The CJI said: “They know who the officers are. Maybe, they don’t want to tell. Let the enquiry committee find out who the officers are.”

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