SC declines to entertain plea on Muzzafarnagar riot

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea seeking its direction to the Uttar Pradesh Government to effectively deal with the law and order situation in trouble-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar.

The oral plea was made by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) before a bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam which questioned the lawyers' body for bypassing the Allahabad High Court for redressal of their grievances when it was against the alleged inaction of state government.

"Tell us why are you bypassing the High Court and directly coming to the Supreme Court. At this juncture we can't entertain the plea," the bench, also comprising Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, said.

However, the bench later said the SCBA can file the petition before the apex court giving details of the incidents and reasons for it to move the top court.

SCBA President M N Krishnamani and its members brought the issue of communal violence by placing before it media reports when the bench was rising for the day, saying that the state government has not effectively handled the situation in which 28 persons have been reportedly killed.

They said situation was worse than what has been reported and they are approaching the apex court as families of more than 100 lawyers of the association are being affected by the violence.

However, the bench said, "it is not only concerned with lawyers' families but with families of everybody".

"Every corner of this country, something or the other is happening. We cannot go into everything," the bench said.