No interrogation, arrest of DU don, Chhattisgarh government tells SC

The Chhattisgarh government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it will neither arrest nor interrogate Delhi University Professor Nandini Sundar -- accused in a murder case -- as the court directed it to give her four-week notice if it wanted to act in the case.

The government also told an apex court bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel that other accused named in the FIR too will neither be arrested nor interrogated.

Taking the state government's statement on record, the bench said petitioner Nandini Sundar can approach the court as and when she is given notice that the Chhattisgarh government intended to proceed against her in pursuance to the FIR.

Submitting a report on the case in a sealed cover to the bench, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the court may not peruse it as the state government does not intend to neither arrest nor interrogate her in the case.

"We will record your (Tushar Mehta) statement that they (Prof. Nandini Sundar and others named in FIR) will not be interrogated or arrested," the bench said as senior counsel Ashok Desai, appearing for the DU Professor, urged the court to say that the state government will not act on the FIR without its (court's) permission.

The court reiterated its position, as Mehta said that "this is a matter where we (Chhattisgarh government) would like to share with the court all the facts".

In order to dispel the impression that was sought to be created about Prof. Sunder and other activist, Desai referred to the DU don's statement condemning the action of Maoists as "troublesome" and that "something must be done" against them.

The senior counsel said that she has also said the same thing in her recently published book.

The Chhattisgarh Police said on November 8 that a case of murder was registered against Sundar, Jawaharlal Nehru University don Archana Prasad and others following a tribal Somnath Baghel's killing on November 4 in the state.

The case was registered on November 5 at Tongpal police station regarding the killing carried out by armed Maoists in Nama village in Tongpal area of Chhattisgarh.

--IANS

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