Won’t withdraw Jat quota stir violence cases: Haryana to HC

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22

Efforts by the Haryana Government to withdraw cases registered during the 2016 Jat reservation stir hit a roadblock on Tuesday with its Advocate-General Baldev Raj Mahajan giving an undertaking in the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the state will not pursue withdrawal at least till July 11 — the next date of hearing in the case.

The undertaking came after a Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa was told that 20 per cent of the total cases registered during the stir, including those “serious in nature”, were sought to be withdrawn.

The cases were registered after widespread violence during the agitation seeking reservation for the Jat community. As the case came up for resumed hearing, amicus curiae (friend of the court) Anupam Gupta said the government wanted to withdraw 407 of the 2,105 cases registered in 21 districts.

Urging the Bench to issue restraining orders, Gupta added that intervention was a must before it became a fait accompli. Gupta said 82 out of 172 cases were sought to be withdrawn in Jhajjar — one of the worst-hit districts during the agitation. Among these were 53 FIRs of arson, damage or loot tabulated as serious by the Parkash Singh Committee set up by the government after the incidents of lawlessness.

Calling the then situation as extremely bad, Gupta said even the “Army failed”. “Men in uniform with hands tied behind their back with instructions not to fire were sent. As a result, the mob took over... The Army loses its respect in such situations. If you were to apply this formula to Kashmir or other parts, God save the country,” he added.

Referring to Hisar, Gupta said 36 out of 63 cases sought to be withdrawn from a total of 155 were tabulated as serious by the committee. In Rohtak, the situation was a shade better. Gupta said 21 out of 35 cases sought to be withdrawn from a total of 1,212 were dubbed serious. But untraced reports were filed by investigating agencies in more than 1,000 cases after they could not track down those involved. Gupta added that the state, as such, was required to be restrained from pursuing the withdrawal of any FIR.

Haryana A-G Mahajan and Additional A-G Pawan Girdhar, on the other hand, said withdrawal of cases was not an automatic process; and that the trial court’s permission was mandatory.