The Madhya Pradesh Government has alleged before the Supreme Court that the Medha Patkar-led Narmada Bachao Andolan activists were getting the support of foreigners in disrupting relief and rehabilitation work for the families affected by the Narmada project.
NEW DELHI: The Madhya Pradesh Government has alleged before the Supreme Court that the Medha Patkar-led Narmada Bachao Andolan activists were getting the support of foreigners in disrupting relief and rehabilitation work for the families affected by the Narmada project.
"It will be worthwhile to mention here that these activities have been or are being supported by some foreigners also. There have been a number of visits by foreigners in the knowledge of the district authorities," it said in an affidavit.
The averments to this effect in the affidavit were based on the reply of Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board (MPSEB), which has been carrying out rehabilitation and resettlement for the project-affected people.
Similar stand has been taken by Gujarat Government, which in its affidavit, had supported the allegation of an NGO that such protests could not be carried without access to substantial funds.
The hearing on the issue is listed for Monday before a Bench comprising Justices CK Thakker and Altamas Kabir.
The Ahmedabad-based NGO, National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), through its Secretary VK Saxena, has filed PIL seeking probe into the activities of the NBA alleging that the outfit was acting at the behest of foreign powers and creating political instability in India on the strength of funds received from abroad.
The NBA has refuted the allegations of NCCL and has questioned the maintainability of the PIL, contending that it was filed by suppressing some crucial facts and a personal battle was being fought by 'misusing the judiciary'.
Madhya Pradesh Government said NBA activists were booked for allegedly creating hurdles in the rehabilitation process in the state and that criminal cases, including charges of sedition, have been registered against its activists.
The MPSEB has claimed there have been innumerable incidents of manhandling and threats by NBA activists and that recently they disrupted the re-commenced work of development of Lepa and Malgaon villages.
The NBA had claimed that NCCL's identical petition was dismissed by the Gujarat High Court in December 2001, and this has been suppressed in the current PIL.
However, NCCL has refuted it, saying the PIL was not dismissed but disposed off with certain directions.
The affidavit also has the comment of Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA), the organisation constituted by the Madhya Pradesh Government for planning water resources development in Narmada basin and expeditious implementation of project, supporting the allegation of the NCCL.
The court had on July 7 last year issued notices to the Centre, the NBA and one of its activists, Rahul Banerjee, on the NCCL's plea for a CBI probe into alleged illegal activities of the NBA.
It has not yet issued notices to Patkar and the CBI.
The Madhya Pradesh Government said action was taken against the activities of the NBA and chargesheets were filed against them in a court in Dewas District.
"Whenever any criminal incident has taken place, FIR has been registered and action according to law has been taken," it said annexing a list of criminal cases registered against the supporters of NBA and its support group.
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