Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday disputed figures presented in a clutch of pleas in the Supreme Court alleging attacks on Christian institutions, calling such numbers “wrong.”
Out of the 495 alleged cases of attacks on Christian institutions and priests, 232 were reported to the police of eight states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh, and even family feuds and private land disputes have been shown as ‘communal targeting’ to ‘create a false narrative’ about India, said the Centre in an affidavit filed before the top court.
Ministry of Home Affairs told a CJI-led bench that India is a vibrant pluralistic society founded on strong democratic principles. The number of such instances alleged in the plea is exaggerated and the petitioners wanted to keep “the pot boiling” to sully the nation’s image abroad.
“The petitioners claim that there were nearly 500 incidents of attacks on Christians. We sent everything to the states… Let us take the case of Bihar. The attacks the petitioners cite are internal fights between neighbours of which one of them would be a Christian. They have later resolved. The figures given are incorrect. This is how it is being displayed outside the country. This is the message that goes out to the public that Christians are in danger. This is wrong,” said SG Tushar Mehta.
The SG’s reply came in the plea that highlighted the “exponential rise” in the attacks against the Christian community post-2022. The plea sought the setting up of special investigation teams from outside the affected states to probe the alleged attacks and register FIRs.
Relief was also sought for directing the states to provide police protection for prayer meetings and directing SITs to identify and prosecute members of political organizations who instigated the assaults.
The bench granted the petitioners three weeks to respond to the Centre’s affidavit pursuant to Advocate Colin Gonsalves submission that the affidavit was placed late last night and that he wanted more time to respond to it.
The Centre in the 217-page affidavit claimed that in the 263 cases out of 495 cases were not even reported to the states.
“Further, out of 232 incidents which have been reported to the state governments, the matters were resolved in 73 incidents amicably with mutual agreement between both the parties. These 73 incidents were related to cases of land and family disputes, superstitious practices, violation of Covid-19 guidelines and other trivial issues,” the affidavit stated.
Also in top court
States’ child marriage data sought againThe SC has sought response from the Ministry of Women and Child Development with regards to data of states on child marriages, steps taken for implementing the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and its policies for effectuating the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. The bench also asks the centre to inform the number of prohibition officers appointed within two months.
DGPs on notice on unlicensed firearmsThe SC on Thursday issued notice to states in its suo motu plea on unlicensed firearms. Remarking that the matter is a serious one affecting the right to life, a bench asked the states to file an affidavit through respective DGPs indicating the steps taken to deal with unlicensed firearms over the years.
Hearing on Palghar lynching deferred The SC on Thursday defers hearing by two weeks batch of pleas seeking transfer of probe into the lynching of sadhus to the CBI for investigating the lynching of sadhus in Palghar during the lockdown after Maharashtra’s Counsel said awaiting instruction of state govt regarding handing over case to the CBI.
NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday disputed figures presented in a clutch of pleas in the Supreme Court alleging attacks on Christian institutions, calling such numbers “wrong.”
Out of the 495 alleged cases of attacks on Christian institutions and priests, 232 were reported to the police of eight states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh, and even family feuds and private land disputes have been shown as ‘communal targeting’ to ‘create a false narrative’ about India, said the Centre in an affidavit filed before the top court.
Ministry of Home Affairs told a CJI-led bench that India is a vibrant pluralistic society founded on strong democratic principles. The number of such instances alleged in the plea is exaggerated and the petitioners wanted to keep “the pot boiling” to sully the nation’s image abroad.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“The petitioners claim that there were nearly 500 incidents of attacks on Christians. We sent everything to the states… Let us take the case of Bihar. The attacks the petitioners cite are internal fights between neighbours of which one of them would be a Christian. They have later resolved. The figures given are incorrect. This is how it is being displayed outside the country. This is the message that goes out to the public that Christians are in danger. This is wrong,” said SG Tushar Mehta.
The SG’s reply came in the plea that highlighted the “exponential rise” in the attacks against the Christian community post-2022. The plea sought the setting up of special investigation teams from outside the affected states to probe the alleged attacks and register FIRs.
Relief was also sought for directing the states to provide police protection for prayer meetings and directing SITs to identify and prosecute members of political organizations who instigated the assaults.
The bench granted the petitioners three weeks to respond to the Centre’s affidavit pursuant to Advocate Colin Gonsalves submission that the affidavit was placed late last night and that he wanted more time to respond to it.
The Centre in the 217-page affidavit claimed that in the 263 cases out of 495 cases were not even reported to the states.
“Further, out of 232 incidents which have been reported to the state governments, the matters were resolved in 73 incidents amicably with mutual agreement between both the parties. These 73 incidents were related to cases of land and family disputes, superstitious practices, violation of Covid-19 guidelines and other trivial issues,” the affidavit stated.
Also in top court
States’ child marriage data sought again
The SC has sought response from the Ministry of Women and Child Development with regards to data of states on child marriages, steps taken for implementing the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and its policies for effectuating the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. The bench also asks the centre to inform the number of prohibition officers appointed within two months.
DGPs on notice on unlicensed firearms
The SC on Thursday issued notice to states in its suo motu plea on unlicensed firearms. Remarking that the matter is a serious one affecting the right to life, a bench asked the states to file an affidavit through respective DGPs indicating the steps taken to deal with unlicensed firearms over the years.
Hearing on Palghar lynching deferred
The SC on Thursday defers hearing by two weeks batch of pleas seeking transfer of probe into the lynching of sadhus to the CBI for investigating the lynching of sadhus in Palghar during the lockdown
after Maharashtra’s Counsel said awaiting instruction of state govt regarding handing over case
to the CBI.
