Title - High court notice to ex-DGP, chief secretary for inaction during Gujjar stir

JAIPUR: Former chief secretary D C Sawant and former director general of police (DGP) A S Gill could be charged for committing contempt of court for their alleged inaction during the Gujjar agitation in 2008. The Rajasthan High Court on Friday issued notices to the then chief secretary Sawant and the then DGP Gill asking them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.The single bench of Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma, while hearing the state government's contempt petition against Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla, observed that the government, too, failed to maintain law and order during the community's agitation for quota in jobs and educational institutions in May-June 2008. Since Sawant and Gill were holding the top government posts then, the bench noted that the officers need to do some explaining. The two officers, who have retired and settled outside Rajasthan, have time till July 23 to file replies. Principal secretary (home) Ashok Sampatram, DGP Harish Meena and Bainsla were present in the court when the notices were issued. The bench directed DGP Meena to ensure that the court notices were served to Sawant and Gill.Bainsla, along with his 12 supporters, has been facing the contempt charge as the Gujjar agitation in 2008 witnessed violent clashes between the police and the protesters, resulting in loss of human lives and damage to government properties. The first Gujjar agitation in June 2007 saw similar violent clashes. As per the government reply in court, the two agitations resulted in death of 62 people and loss of government property worth Rs 30 crores. The Gujjars under Bainsla had uprooted railway tracks and forcefully blocked national highways in the eastern districts of Bharatpur, Dausa, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur.Once the 2008 agitation was called off after negotiations, the then Vasundhara Raje government filed the contempt petition against Bainsla alleging that the Gujjar leader and his supporters knowingly violated the high court order of September 10, 2007, which required the Gujjars to keep their protests peaceful.

Justice Sharma, while hearing the petition, however, wanted to know what the state government did to maintain law and order during the agitation in 2008. On behalf of the government, additional advocate general NA Naqvi said on Friday that Bharatpur collector denied permission for the protest in May 2008. "When Bainsla and his supporters still declared to go ahead with the protest, we made 18,000 preventive detentions, suspended nearly 1600 arms licences, clamped prohibitory orders against public gatherings, deployed Army and RAC at sensitive places and registered police cases against law breakers across the state," Naqvi told the bench. The court, however, said it was not satisfied with the government reply.