New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Taking note of media reports of the thrashing by police of a Dalit woman and her father in Punjab and a group of teachers in the Bihar capital Patna, the Supreme Court Monday issued notice to the chief secretaries of both the states.
An apex court bench of Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, while issuing the notice, said: "Both the incidents have shocked the conscience of the entire nation."
"These incidents raise important constitutional issues relating to Article 21 of the constitution and dignity of individual. We, therefore, feel that it is proper for this court to take cognizance of the gross violation of the human rights as well as the constitutional rights of the people," the court said.
Some Punjab Police personnel were caught on camera brutally thrashing a young Dalit woman and her ex-serviceman father in public after she approached them to file a sexual harassment case in Punjab's Tarn Taran district Monday.
In another case, nearly 50 fixed-pay teachers on contract, including women, were injured in a police cane charge during a protest in Patna Tuesday. The teachers were demanding permanent jobs and equal pay for equal work.
Taking on record the various newspaper reports of the two incidents, the court in its order said: "The contents of the news items revealed that members of the Punjab Police and Patna Police have mercilessly beaten an unarmed woman and teachers."
The court said: "Unfortunately, the administration of the governments of Punjab and Bihar have not taken adequate steps for protecting the people against the wholly unwarranted action taken by the police at Tarn Taran and Patna."
The court asked Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati to assist the court in the matter. The court also asked senior counsel Harish Salve and U.U. Lalit to assist the court as amicus curiae.
The court directed the registry to place the matter before the Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and seek his direction for the listing of the case March 11, 2013.
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