SC declines SIT probe, says arrests not for dissent
Arrest of five activists
New Delhi, Sep 28: In a 2:1 majority judgement, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere in the arrest of five activists in the Bhima Koregaon case in Maharashtra. It also declined to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), allowing Pune police to go ahead with its probe.
The house arrest of the five rights activists -- Sudha Bhardwaj, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira -- will continue for four more weeks, said a majority judgement, read out by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar also on behalf of Chief Justice Dipak Misra.
He said that in perusal of documents submitted before the bench it was not a case of arrest merely because of dissent or difference in political views.
In a dissenting judgement, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said liberty cherished by the Constitution would have no meaning if persecution of the five rights activists were allowed without a proper investigation.
Justice Chandrachud lashed out at the Pune police for going public with evidence and termed it as disconcerting behaviour.
Rejecting the plea seeking the SIT probe into charges that the five have links with banned CPI (Maoist) outfil and were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to kill sovereign leaders, the bench said: "The accused person cannot have a choice in the investigating agency."
However, Justice Khanwilkar said that the accused were at liberty to pursue appropriate legal relief.
As the bench extended its interim order putting them under house arrest, in his dissenting judgment Justice Chandrachud recalled the sequence of events when a senior police officer held a press conference and released letters.
Justice Chandrachud said that the impartiality of the Maharashtra Police was in doubt as it had tried to prejudice public opinion. He questioned "whether the Maharashtra Police can be trusted to carry out impartial investigation".
He ordered a court-monitored SIT probe and said that the technicalities of law cannot be allowed to override the substantive justice.
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1,600 Indians travel to India on 5 Qatar Airways flights amid airspace curbs
Doha (PTI): Around 1,600 Indian nationals travelled to India on five Qatar Airways flights on Tuesday, even as the airline continues to operate limited services due to restrictions on Qatar's airspace, the Indian Embassy here said.
The flights included two services to Delhi and one each to Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, the embassy said in a social media post.
"In total, about 1600 Indian nationals travelled on Qatar Airways flights today," it said.
The mission noted that Qatar's airspace remains largely closed and Qatar Airways is currently operating only limited, non-scheduled flights.
The airline has announced services to nine Indian destinations starting Wednesday, and passengers can make bookings through the Qatar Airways website, mobile application or authorised travel agents.
The embassy said it continues to facilitate temporary Saudi transit visas for stranded Indian nationals wishing to travel to India via Saudi Arabia by crossing the Salwa land border.
The mission will remain open on all days in the coming week to provide consular services, including issuance of passports, while its control room and helplines through phone, email and WhatsApp will continue to function on a 24/7 basis.
It urged the Indian community to follow instructions issued by Qatari authorities and exercise responsibility in sharing information to help maintain public safety and community stability.
The embassy and Indian community organisations have also collaborated to support members of the Indian fishermen community in Qatar by providing dry rations to those in need.
Tensions in West Asia continue to escalate following the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28.
