The Allahabad High Court has rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concerning the violent incidents in Sambhal, stating that a judicial commission has already been established by the state government to investigate the matter. The bench, comprising Justice Arvind Kumar Mishra and Justice Gautam Chaudhary, announced their decision, highlighting that the matter was already under examination by the commission.
The PIL had called for specific guidelines for the police in handling such situations, but the court declined to intervene. Instead, it suggested that the petitioner could seek recourse through appropriate forums if desired. Following the court’s decision, the petitioner’s lawyer requested the withdrawal of the plea, which was accepted by the court.
The PIL was initially filed by Anand Prakash Tiwari, a social worker and journalist from Varanasi, who urged the establishment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by a retired High Court judge. The proposed team was to include the Commissioner of Moradabad, the District Magistrate (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Sambhal, and other local officials to investigate and report on their roles in the disturbances.
Additionally, the petition had called for an independent agency to probe the involvement of the state government and local administration in the events at Sambhal. Senior Advocate Gyan Prakash, along with other legal representatives, defended the existing judicial measures, arguing that a high-level inquiry was already in progress, overseen by a High Court judge.
