Ramdev eviction: Supreme Court notice to Centre for use of 'brutal' force

The Supreme Court today took suo motu cognisance of the midnight crack down on yoga guru Ramdev and his followers and sought an explanation from the Centre about the circumstances which compelled it to take "brutal" action at the Ramlila ground in the national capital.

The apex court expressed concern over the "police atrocities" and use of "brutal force" to disperse the "innocent" people gathered at the site of Ramdev's hunger strike against black money on the intervening nights of June 4 and 5.

"Considering the gravity of the police atrocities and the brutal force that was used by the police to disperse the innocent people who had gathered at Ramlila Maidan in furtherence to the permission granted by the state is a matter of concern for the court," a vacation bench of Justice BS Chauhan and Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

The bench issued notices to the Union home secretary, Delhi chief secretary and the Delhi police commissioner, asking them to respond within two weeks about the circumstances under which "such power with brutality and atrocities was asserted against a large people gathered at Ramlila Maidan".