Jat agitation: HC restrains Haryana govt from withdrawing cases

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has restrained the Haryana government from withdrawing the cases registered in connection with the Jat agitation in 2016.

The Haryana government had earlier submitted a list of 407 cases for which it had given permission for withdrawal.

The court of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Pali here today further directed all the judicial magistrates in Haryana not to pass any order on any application for withdrawal or any cancellation report pertaining to the cases till the next date of hearing.

"All concerned magistrates are restrained from passing any order on any such applications for withdrawal or in respect of cancellation report," the court has directed.

"We hereby direct that until further orders the state of Haryana shall not proceed with its applications for withdrawal of the cases," it said.

The cases pertain to arson and violence during the Jat stir in February 2016.

"Out of over 2,000 cases, the government had moved process of withdrawing 407 cases. Many of these cases have been treated as serious by the Parkash Singh Committee," said Anupam Gupta, the senior advocate and amicus curiae in the Murthal rape case and Jat agitation cases.

He said the next hearing in the case has been fixed for October 4.

The Prakash Singh Committee, set up by the state government, had probed the role of police and civil administration officials during the Jat reservation stir.

Earlier in May, the Haryana government had told the high court that it will not proceed till the next date of hearing.

Gupta had objected to the state government's move of withdrawing cases, including those pertaining to arson and violence, in connection with the Jat agitation in 2016.

The government had earlier submitted a list of 407 cases for which it had given its permission for withdrawal.

In an earlier hearing, the court had asked the state government to submit a list of cases sought to be withdrawn.

At least 30 people died and several others were injured during incidents of violence and arson which erupted during the Jat agitation.

A total 2,100 cases pertaining to arson and violence were registered in connection with the Jat agitation in 2016. Places like Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonipat were the epicenter of the stir.