SC tells Orissa to stop minority persecution

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would not allow “persecution” of minorities and asked the Orissa government to resign if it cannot protect Christians who were targeted in the recent Kandhamal riots.

“We are secular country. We cannot allow persecution of minorities,” a bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan said. The bench, which also comprised justices Markandey Katju and P Sathasivam, criticised the state government for allegedly stepping in late to check the violence against the minority community after the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on August 23, 2007.

“It is the duty of the state to protect minorities. You (Orissa government) have done so only after 50,000 people of the minority community fled to the jungles,” the bench commented. “If the state government is unable to protect them it should resign,” justice Katju observed. “No minority community should be insecure in the country,” he said.

The apex court, which in October 2007, had directed the stationing of para-military forces in the riot-hit areas till December-end in view of Christmas, asked the Orissa government not to take any unilateral decision on its withdrawal. Home secretary AP Padhi, who submitted an affidavit in this regard on behalf of the Orissa government urged the court to withdraw the CRPF from Kandhamal in a phase manner. The bench said a decision should be taken in coordination with the Centre. The court order followed the Centre’s objection to the submission of the state government in which it talked about the withdrawing the central forces in a phased manner from February onwards in view of the coming general election.

The bench, which was hearing a petition filed by Archbishop of Cuttack Raphael Cheenath on Kandhamal violence, was told by his counsel, Colin Gonsalves, that there was a “deceptive” calm in the area after the deployment of central forces.