Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking action on Nandigram violence

The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition seeking direction to the Centre to take action against the West Bengal Government for the Nandigram violence.

New Delhi, Nov 19 : The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition seeking direction to the Centre to take action against the West Bengal Government for the Nandigram violence.

The petition was based on the report of Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said that it cannot pass any such direction.

It further added that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was looking into the matter. The NHRC issued a notice to the West Bengal Government and directed it to submit a factual report on the conditions prevailing in Nandigram within 10 days.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has also been asked by the Commission to take all necessary steps to restore peace in the area, and has been asked to submit an action taken report within two weeks.

Earlier, Gopalkrishna said that manner in which the 'recapture' of Nandigram villages is being attempted is totally unlawful and unacceptable.

"I find it equally unacceptable that while Nandigram has been ingressed with ease by armed people, on the one hand, political and non-political persons trying to reach it have been violently obstructed," he added.

Nandigram has been the scene of recurring clashes since January resulting in deaths, including 14 in police firing and violence on March 14 when villagers resisted the police from entering.

ANI