India / SC refuses to entertain pleas seeking investigation into R-Day violence

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a clutch of petitions demanding investigation into the tractor rally violence in the national capital on Republic Day and direction to the media not to declare farmers as "terrorists" without any evidence.

A bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian refused to hear the pleas and asked the three petitioners to approach the government with their pleas and make representation there.

"We are sure that the government is inquiring into this and taking action. We heard in the press where the Prime Minister said that law will take its own course, we do not want to interfere in it. You can approach the government," the Chief Justice said.

Petitioner advocate Vishal Tiwari contended that on January 26 "unfortunate incident happened, blames are on both sides but people suffered".

When Chief Justice said the government is inquiring about the issue, Tiwari said let not the probe be one-sided.

To this, the Chief Justice replied, "Your prayer is based on the fact that it is going to be one-sided. What is an investigation? It has to take all sides into account."

Another petitioner advocate Shikha Dixit told the Bench that Police were beaten up and there was violence on January 26 in Delhi.

The Bench replied that it cannot look into this issue.

It then disposed of the three pleas and allowed their withdrawal with the liberty to approach the government.

The apex court also dismissed another petition filed by advocate ML Sharma seeking direction to the media not to declare farmers as "terrorists" without any evidence. Sharma has claimed that there was a planned conspiracy to sabotage the protest by farmers and they were allegedly declared as "terrorists" without any evidence.

His plea sought directions to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to register an FIR against BJP leader Sambit Patra and a news channel for false allegations and charges against the farmers by conspiring to term them as "terrorists" for political motives.

The petition filed by Tiwari, besides seeking setting up of an inquiry commission, sought directions to the concerned authority to lodge FIRs against individuals or organisations responsible for the violence and dishonour to the national flag on January 26.

Another petition filed by Swati Goel Sharma and Sanjeev Newar, prayed for a probe by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) into the tractor rally violence.