The high-powered committee probing the raids on two marriage halls in Agartala by West Tripura DM (District Magistrate) on the night of April 26, in its report submitted to the Tripura High Court, has suggested that detention of men, women and children was ‘unjust’.
“The report suggests that taking men, women and children to the police stations and detaining them for about 2 hours was totally unnecessary, unjust and unreasonable. This is undoubtedly a very serious matter,” the Tripura High Court observed.
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The Tripura High Court said this while hearing the sensational case of former West Tripura district magistrate Sailesh Kumar Yadav and asked the inquiry committee to carry out further inquiry into this aspect of the case.
The division bench comprising Chief Justice AA Kureshi and Justice Arindam Lodh was hearing the case after the inquiry committee submitted its report in a sealed cover on May 13 last.
The Chief Justice after hearing the arguments made by the advocate Siddhartha Shankar Dey representing the state and the counsel of three petitioners including one Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has asked the committee provides some more information before the court on the next date of hearing on June 22.
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The Chief Justice further said that the report submitted by the inquiry committee does not indicate as to under whose orders the members of the marriage party including women and children were detained.
“Let the Inquiry Committee carry out a further inquiry into this aspect of the matter and submit its additional report in sealed covers before the Court on the next date of hearing,” the Chief Justice said.
Advocate general SS Dey had requested the Court to allow the transfer of Sailesh Kumar Yadav back to West Tripura district looking at the present situation. However, the Court did not allow the relaxation since the inquiry was still going on.
The advocate general also raised the matter of the press and said, “May the press not gag any one of us. That is my humble hope and my lord I will aspire to that level.”
“We do not look at the press with any suspicion or even any degree of discomfort. Press is extremely important to our running of the democracy. Our confidence in the press is not yet shaken and there are incidents here and there we are always able to take care of,” CJ AA Kureshi said.