Bulldozing of houses in name of investigation not provided under law: Gauhati HC
Guwahati (PTI): The Gauhati High Court has stressed that bulldozing of a house is not provided under any criminal law, even if an agency is investigating a very serious matter.
Chief Justice R M Chhaya made this observation while hearing a suo motu case taken up by the High Court regarding the demolition of the house of an accused in an arson case in Nagaon district of Assam.
The Batadrava Police Station was set on fire on May 21 by a mob following the alleged custodial death of a local fish trader, Safikul Islam (39), who had been picked up by police the night before.
A day later, the district authorities demolished at least six houses, including Islam's, using a bulldozer, purportedly in search of weapons and drugs hidden beneath the structures.
"Even if a very serious matter is being investigated by an agency, bulldozing of a house is not provided under any criminal law," Justice Chhaya observed.
Emphasizing that it requires permission to even search a house, he said, "Tomorrow if you need something, you will dig up my courtroom."
The chief justice said that nobody will be safe if pulling down anyone's house is permitted in the name of an investigation. "We are in a democratic set-up," he added.
Pointing out that one 0.9 mm pistol was recovered by demolishing the house, as submitted in the government affidavit, Chief Justice Chayya also raised apprehension that it could have been planted.
He maintained that incidents of such bulldozing of houses are done in movies, and even in those, the search warrant is shown before the act.
The chief justice equated the bulldozing of the houses to an act in a ‘gang war’ and asked the Home department to find better ways of carrying out their investigation.
"There is a purpose why 'law and order' words are used together this is not the manner in which law and order is controlled," he said in his observation on Thursday.
The matter will be heard again on December 12.
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
