On Monday (June 28), the Supreme Court of India dismissed a petition seeking protection of Hindus from the dominant Muslim community in the Nuh district (Mewat) of Haryana.
As per reports, the petition was filed by a group of lawyers and activists through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain. It read, “A number of Hindus have been forcibly converted to Islam and a number of Hindu women and minor girls have been abducted and raped. The Hindu women are not safe at all. The Muslims at a large number have committed atrocities on members of Schedule caste.”
The petitioners highlighted that the local police, the district administration, and the State government have failed to exercise their power in upholding the life and liberty of the Hindu community. The petition stated that the Hindu population in Nuh had declined from 20% (in 2011) to 10-11% now while the Muslim population has increased under the patronage of Tablighi Jammat.
The petitioners relied on a report, dated May 31, 2020, by a four-member committee wherein it visited the affected area and submitted a copy of it to Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar. The petition stated, “(The State of Haryana has failed to) disclose the facts of various FIRs and complaints of various heinous crimes, lodged by Hindus against Muslims for their tortures and atrocities committed on them, leave apart taking any action on the said FIRs or complaints.
While highlighting that the Nuh district of Haryana has been affected by anti-national elements, they said that the Hindu community has been forced to lead the ‘life of an animal’. As such, the petition urged the apex court to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of CBI, NIA officials, and a retired Supreme Court judge to look into the accusations of forceful conversions, rape of Hindu women and minor girls. The petitioners also asked the court to cancel all sale deeds made by Hindus under coercion in the past 10 years.
The petition was heard by a 3-Judge Bench of CJI NV Ramana, Justices Hrishikesh Roy and AS Bopanna. During the hearing, the CJI said, “We cannot entertain this plea based on newspaper reports.” The Supreme Court then dismissed the case, seeking protection for Hindus, after enquiring about additional affidavits. With inputs from Opindia and Bar and Bench