The Uttarakhand High Court has disposed of a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation in the matter of beating up the residents of Village Belda, Haridwar by the police authorities.
The High Court has initiated these proceedings suo motu on one Lady / Petitioner , appearing online, and alleging an incident of killing of a person, and beating up of residents of Village Belda, Tehsil Roorkee, District Haridwar, by the police authorities.
The Advocate General was present in the Court when the matter was taken up, and was directed to instruct the Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar, to report in relation to the alleged incident. The Member Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority was also directed to provide whatever assistance is required by Petitioner to be able to file an appropriate petition.
The Senior Civil Judge / Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Haridwar, on being apprised of the High Court order, has visited the site, recorded statements and collected documents & photographs, on the basis of which he filed the report. He states that he met Petitioner at Government Hospital, Roorkee. He found that between 12.06.2023 to 13.06.2023, there were several injured police personnel, and 34 MNPC brought to the hospital, but no person relating to the matter was admitted in the hospital. In fact, Petitioner also confirmed that no person relating to the incident was currently admitted to the hospital.
She claimed that some women were admitted to the nearby Hospital, whereafter he proceeded to the Hospital with the Petitioner . The Secretary, DLSA, interacted with two women, admitted there, who were injured in the violent incident. They stated that there was a dispute between two communities, and they were beaten up by the police. They did not desire any legal aid, and stated that the petitioner was there to help them. The statement of the Petitioner , that there were other injured women, but they had left the hospital just after the arrival of the Secretary, DLSA, because of police influence, was also noticed. The statement of the Petitioner , that there were many more injured women of the village, was also recorded. One woman – stated that the situation at the village is much worse. The Petitioner refused to accept any legal assistance from the DLSA. She also stated that she did not require any police protection, on the ground that it was causing hardship to her. She also claimed that the police were indirectly pressurizing her family at Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal.
S.N. Babulkar, Advocate General has tendered in Court the report regarding an accident involving one youth, riding a motorcycle, with a tractor-trolley, in which, unfortunately, the youth is stated to have died in hospital. It appears that due to the said accident, a large mob gathered at the police station, and there was stone pelting, resulting in injury to several persons, including a large number of police personnel. 44 persons were taken in custody, and 03 cases have been registered by the police.
Babulkar has also tendered another report dated 16.06.2023, to state that the Petitioner is a resident of Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal. The Petitioner is a law graduate, and she is preparing for the civil services examinations. The report further states that she has no concern with the incident / accident in question.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal have inquired from the Petitioner – whether she herself was the witness to either of the alleged accident / incident involving the death of the youth, or the following violence. She states that she has only derived information from some persons, who were injured in the violence.
In these circumstances, the Court is not inclined to continue with these proceedings any further. It is open to the Petitioner , and to all others who are affected, to raise their grievance in appropriate proceedings before the authorities, or the competent court , the Court ordered.