The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file documents from the proceedings of the scheme related to the protection of witnesses of criminal cases.
A division bench of Justice Pankaj Mittal and Justice Saurabh Lavania passed the order on a public interest litigation filed by Abha Singh, the chairman of Ranasmar Foundation.
The Court directed the Government Counsel that the Government’s letters and documents related to the scheme along with the counter affidavit be presented in two weeks.
In the petition, the issue of the protection of the interests of criminal cases including the protection of witnesses has been raised. In the case of Mahendra Chawla on this issue, a request has been made to the State Government to give instructions to the Supreme Court to implement it effectively in the state.
The Petitioner said that in the light of the aforesaid judgment of the Supreme Court, the scheme of protection of witnesses-2018 should be implemented.
Advocates of the State Government argued that the Government has issued the necessary instructions to the officers of all the Districts to implement this scheme in the state in an immediate and effective manner.
The Court fixed the next hearing of the case on December 20 and directed the Government Counsel to present the Government letters and documents related to the scheme in two weeks with a counter-affidavit so that the petitioner can give further reply in the case.