SC to take up plea on Muzaffarnagar Thursday

The Supreme Court will Thursday hear a plea seeking a CBI probe into the communal clash in Muzzafarnagar in Uttar Pradesh that has claimed at least 38 lives.

Seeking the probe into the "whole incident of mass genocide", the nine petitioners sought "proper and adequate rehabilitation", including temporary shelter, for nearly 20,000 victims.

An apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice V. Gopala Gowda said it would hear the matter Thursday as senior counsel Gopal Subramaniam, appearing for the petitioners, noted that human life could not be lost on account of official negligence.

"We only think they are human beings," Justice Singhvi observed as Subramaniam said the plea was a cry of anguish and the victims could not be distinguished on the basis of caste, creed or community.

The petition was filed by Mohd. Haroon and eight others who said they were directly affected by the violence.

Seeking ex-gratia payment of Rs.25 lakh each to the kin of those killed and Rs.5 lakh each to the injured, the petitioners sought registration of first information report (FIR) against those directly involved in holding the Sep 7 mahapanchayat and for delivering inflammatory speeches.

Subramaniam said the wounded had no hospital to go to.

The petitioners said there was "inadequate action and response" from the Uttar Pradesh government to the violence.

The court's intervention was necessary to uphold the sanctity of the rule of law, they said.