The Hindu : Kerala News : No evidence of ‘Love Jihad’: DGP

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Thursday, Nov 12, 2009
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Kerala

No evidence of ‘Love Jihad’: DGP

High Court grants two weeks to Central government to file its reports

Kochi: Director-General of Police Jacob Punnoose on Wednesday reiterated before the Kerala High Court that no concrete or substantial evidence was available to establish that ‘Love Jihad’ was operating in the State.

However, he said he could not come to a definite or a conclusive finding due to divergence in the contents of the reports received from different subordinate units which formed the basis of his statement filed earlier before the court.

The DGP on Monday submitted the reports he had received from the subordinate units in a sealed cover before the court.

Justice K.T. Sankaran had earlier directed the DGP to file a statement and produce the reports in a sealed cover as the court was dissatisfied with the DGP’s earlier statement.

The court had issued a directive to the DGP to inform it of the activities of the ‘Love Jihad’ while considering two anticipatory bail petitions filed by two youths in a case relating to the abduction and forced conversion of a woman.

The DGP said that cogent and coherent material was available in three reports to make unambiguous statement regarding the truth of allegation on compulsive religious conversion. These reports warranted further inquiry, which he had already ordered. He said the three reports were not backed with supporting evidence to come to a positive finding.

The information in the three reports was relevant while considering the question posed by the court. He said some reports were written based on hearsay. They were not supported by any directive evidence.

When counsel for the Association for Human Rights, Malappuram, submitted that it had filed a petition before the court seeking to restrain the police and the media from using the term ‘Love Jihad,’ the court orally pointed out that he had been receiving a newspaper criticising him for passing orders in this regard. The judge said that the court had not entered any finding that the movement called ‘Love Jihad’ was operating. He had merely stated what had been stated by the police.

The judge said he was not “bothered” by such criticism. He was only concerned with the facts of the case. The court was criticised because of the misunderstanding of his earlier order. He also orally said that the court could speak only through its orders.

The court granted the Central government two weeks to file its reports in the case and adjourned to December 1 the hearing in the case.

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