India: Penalties to be recovered from arsonists, Government tells apex court

New Delhi, Dec 15 (PTI) The Centre has placed before the country's apex Supreme Court a note containing its new guidelines to recover penalties from rioters and arsonists indulging in wanton destruction of public property during agitations. Solicitor General Rohington Nariman told a bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhya on Wednesday that besides empowering district magistrates to recover penalties from the offenders they would be empowered to seek prosecution of such persons before the court concerned. The apex court, while taking on record the Centre's note containing the guidelines, issued notices to the Central Government for its reply on a public interest litigation filed by former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Prakash Singh seeking recovery of penalties from protesters who recently enforced an over 100-day blockade of the northeast Indian state of Manipur. In the two-page note submitted to the court, it was stated that the Centre would coordinate with the respective state Home Secretaries to remove blockades and tackle the menace of destruction of public properties like railways, airways and highways. However, if the state fails to remove the blockade within 12 hours, the state Home Secretary "shall immediately request the Home Secretary of the Union of India to direct the Central Forces or any other para-military force available at the command of the Centre to initiate the desired preventive steps immediately to maintain or restore public order within 24 horus," the note said. The Centre's guidelines came in the backdrop of the bench's direction to Nariman to assist the court as amicus curiae to tackle the problem arising out of destruction of public properties by rioters. The bench had passed the order while dealing with the killing last year of two persons, including a physically challenged girl, by members of an upper caste at Mirchpur village in the northern state of Haryana. PTI