The petition, filed in 2021, sought instructions for an expedited decision by the CNDH on the complaint. (Image/ANI)
Judge Prathiba M Singh noted that although the matter was “receiving due consideration” from the CNDH, the proceedings should be concluded within a certain time frame, as the incident concerned 2020.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to make a decision within six months on a complaint in connection with alleged police brutality during a demonstration organized by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha in West Bengal in October 2020.
Judge Prathiba M Singh noted that although the matter was “receiving due consideration” from the CNDH, the proceedings should be concluded within a certain time frame, as the incident concerned 2020.
The court order came at the request of one Rohit Verma, a member of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, who claimed that he participated in the peaceful “Nabanna Chalo” rally organized on 8 October 2020 in West Bengal, which allegedly turned into a “hunt”. ground for the establishment of the police ”and he witnessed“ large-scale brutality ”.
The demonstration, he has declared, was a peaceful protest against the “ineffective, irresponsible, brutal, intimidating, dictatorial and violent government of the TMC-led state government.” The CNDH lawyer stated that he had become aware of the complaint in relation to the demonstration and that he was exercising his power under the law to deal with it in an “independent and rational” manner.
The Commission is aware that it has to issue orders in pending matters, he added.
“The court is of the opinion that the matter is receiving due consideration. However, considering that the issue relates to an incident that occurred in 2020, it is considered appropriate to order the CNDH to make its final decision on the matter within six months,” the court ordered.
The court noted that, according to the response submitted by the NHRC, the authority has taken detailed steps in accordance with the complaint, including requesting reports from the West Bengal authorities.
“The NHRC affidavit suggests that the commission has issued instructions and found that there is a violation of human rights. Subsequently, the relevant authority including the Chief Secretary and the West Bengal DGP were also notified,” the court recorded.
The NHRC’s lawyer said the Commission is not a “supervisory authority” in relation to law and order in any state and deals with allegations of human rights violations.
Previously, the petitioner had argued that the CNDH was not taking any action on the complaint and was “wasting” the powers granted to it by law.
The petition, filed in 2021, sought instructions for an expedited decision by the CNDH on the complaint.
“The complaint was filed to draw the defendant’s attention to the magnitude of the egregious violations of fundamental and human rights committed by the state machine in West Bengal on the fateful day of the Nabanna Chalo demonstration,” the petition reads.
He claimed the NHRC notice was issued promptly, but the matter was later put into cold storage.
“Even after a period of almost nine months had elapsed since the filing of the complaint, the defendant had done little or nothing to bring the West Bengal state and its police establishment to respond,” the petition via lawyers Kabir Shankar Bose and Surjendu Sankar. declared Das.
The petition claimed that the attack on the participants was an attack on democracy and that the police and the West Bengal state government “acted together to quell dissent and forcibly silence the demands for accountability of the people of West Bengal.” ”.
“The vicious attacks by the police authorities at the behest of the state government are politically motivated and target supporters of any political party or faction other than the West Bengal state ruling party, namely the All-India Trinamool Congress. . (TMC),” the allegation was filed.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
