New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) A Delhi court Tuesday ordered deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Mirchpur village in Haryana to protect the witnesses till they record their testimonies in the case relating to an attack on Dalits there in 2010, which led to the death of two community members.
Special Judge (Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribal Act) Kamini Lau said: ‘I now direct that CRPF deployment at village Mirchpur should be made preferably near the spot of the incident i.e. around the Balmiki Basti and should continue till such time the public witnesses in the case are examined and till further orders of this court.’
The court took exception to the belated deployment of CRPF at the village where the community members of the accused are protesting against the shifting of the trial from Haryana to Delhi.
‘CRPF deployment has also been made at the village by the government of Haryana, though very belatedly, after agitation of the dominant class had spread across the state. This measure, no doubt, could have been taken earlier,’ it said.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed that the case relating to the killing of a 70-year-old Dalit man and his physically-challenged daughter allegedly by a mob of over 100 upper caste people be transferred to the special court here to ensure a free and fair trial.
During the hearing, Lau pulled up Delhi government for delay in appointing a special public prosecutor to conduct the trial in the case.
‘The manner in which government of NCT of Delhi has unduly delayed the appointment/ notification of the special prosecutor for no obvious reasons only reflects their non-serious approach on the issue,’ the court said.
It directed the city government to appoint S.P. Ahluwalia as special prosecutor, ‘in order to avoid any legal conflict/irregularity and confusion at a later stage’ as he has already been notified by Haryana government to conduct the trial.
