[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
dam-l LS: I. Express, July 23: 'Arundhati's remark may invite SC action'
>
>Friday, July 23, 1999
>
>Arundhati's remark may invite SC action
>
>PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
>
>NEW DELHI, JULY 22: Irked by the critical statements
>made by Narmada Bachao Andolan, an NGO, and Booker
>Prize winner Arundhati Roy on a Supreme Court ruling on
>Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), the Supreme Court today
>sought assistance from a senior advocate on the course of
>action against them.
>
>The Gujarat Government presented before a three-judge
>bench comprising Chief Justice A S Anand, Justice S P
>Bharucha and Justice B N Kirpal, several statements of NBA
>and the book The Greater Common Good written by Roy,
>a portion of which dealt with the fallacy of court ruling
>permitting raising of the height of the dam from 80 to 85
>metres.
>
>The bench after perusing the material and a portion of Roy's
>book said ``prima facie it appears that there is an attempt to
>undermine the dignity of the court and influence the course of
>justice.''
>
>``However, before proceeding any further with the case, we
>have decided to appoint an amicus curiae who will advise
>the court as to what action should be taken in thematter as
>well as in the (main) petition," the bench said.
>
>The bench appointed Supreme Court bar association
>president K K Venugopal as the amicus and posted the
>matter for further hearing on July 29.
>
>NBA had filed a petition challenging the construction of the
>dam alleging that a large number of oustees had not been
>rehabilitated so far by the Gujarat Government.
>
>Counsel for NBA, senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, said the
>Gujarat Government had paid little attention to the plight of
>the oustees.
>
>He contended that the tribunal's award on Narmada project,
>which envisaged proper rehabilitation of all the persons
>whose land would be inundated by the water of the reservoir,
>had not yet been fully implemented by the state.
>
>The NBA counsel said the oustees of the Sardar Sarovar
>Project has recently taken a decision to take `jal samadhi' (to
>voluntarily die by getting inundated) and the court should take
>notice of this.
>
>The court made it clear that for the time being the issue was
>the statementsmade by petitioners ``to undermine the dignity
>of the court'' and the broader issues would also be taken care
>by the court.
>
>The court had early this year allowed the Gujarat
>Government to raise the height of the dam from 80 to 85
>metres but had categorically told the state government to take
>effective steps to rehabilitate the oustees.
>
>It had also sought a report from the grievance redressal
>authority. The government stated that of the 2,837 complaints
>received by the GRA, 2,667 had been dealt with.
>
>Counsel for the state government Harish Salve submitted that
>this would effectively dispel the fear of the petitioner that the
>GRA was not proceeding with the complaints expeditiously.
>
>Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay)
>Ltd.
>