The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Chhattisgarh government for raising the "bogey" of Naxalism to discredit those raising issues of human rights violations even as the Centre said it has evolved a Rs 7,300 crore package to develop Naxal-affected regions of the country.
The apex court also expressed displeasure at the Chattisgarh government's decision to exhume bodies of 10 tribals allegedly killed by the local police in a village of Dantewada district for fresh postmortem without its permission.
"Suppose somebody fights their (victims) case, so what does that imply? First you say they are Naxals, then you say they are sympathisers, then you say they are sympathisers of sympathisersÂ… why all these innuendos," a bench of Justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar asked senior counsel Ranjit Kumar appearing for the state.
The bench made the remarks after the counsel sought to infer that human rights activist Himanshu Kumar, who moved the apex court for protection to eyewitness of alleged police killings, was a sympathiser of Naxalites.
"What do you mean by sympathisers? "Sympathy is fighting for their cause (victims). Nobody is advocating their cause. They are not saying their action should be condoned.
"You mean to say they (human rights activists) should not be concerned with human rights and fundamental rights. Don't keep bringing this Naxal issue. The only issue before this court is whether any such incident has happened or not," the bench snapped at the counsel.
The senior counsel's contention that the petitioners and others were trying to discredit the government by presenting a misleading picture in the media and court failed to convinced the bench.
"Naxals are not before us. Why is the issue being repeatedly raised before us about those who are not before us? Is it your case that the petitioners are Naxals," the bench asked, to which the counsel said there was "some degree of sympathy for Naxals in them."
"What do you mean by it," the bench shot back.
The apex court said it was primarily concerned whether the alleged killing of 10 tribals, said to be sympathisers of Naxals, by security personnel was true or not.
"We are concerned with the short question whether security forces had conducted themselves in such a fashion. If prima facie there is something... even if there is slightest suspicion we have to examine," the bench said.
The apex court also wondered how the state police could exhume the bodies for a post mortem when the petition seeking a probe by CBI or any other independent investigation agency was pending before it.
"When the matter is pending before this court, whatever you do, you should have taken this court into confidence", the bench said, pointing out that it was senior counsel Colin Gonzalves who informed the bench about the exhumation of the bodies.
