Uttarakhand HC To Hear Plea Against Upcoming Purola Mahapanchayat Tomorrow

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday stated that it will hear a plea tomorrow filed by the “Association for Protection of Civil Rights NGO” against an upcoming Mahapanchayat scheduled to take place in Purola.

The Mahapanchayat is being proposed by Hindutva organizations.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal agreed to consider the matter after advocate Shahrukh Alam mentioned it before the court.

The advocate informed the bench about certain organizations issuing an ultimatum to a specific community to vacate the area before the Mahapanchayat. Emphasizing the urgency of the matter, Alam also mentioned that the Supreme Court had granted the petitioner the liberty to approach the High Court.

Earlier in the day, the plea was mentioned before the Supreme Court.

However, a vacation bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah directed the petitioner to first approach the High Court, highlighting the importance of trusting the High Court’s jurisdiction.

“Why this distrust of the High Court? They also have jurisdiction. You should have some trust. Why this short circuiting, we are not on merits or cause. Why do you distrust the administration?” the bench asked.

The petitioner then withdrew the plea from the Supreme Court, with the liberty to pursue the matter in the High Court.

Reports indicate that tensions in the state escalated following allegations of abduction of a minor Hindu girl by two youths, one Hindu and the other Muslim. The incident occurred on May 26, and the accused were promptly taken into custody, with the police invoking relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 against them. Against this backdrop, the Mahapanchayat is scheduled to take place in Purola, Uttarkashi district, tomorrow, amid ongoing communal tensions.

Additionally, two letter petitions have been submitted by Hindi scholars Ashok Vajpeyi and Apoorvanand, along with the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), urging Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi to intervene and prevent the Mahapanchayat. The petitioners express concerns that allowing the event to proceed would further exacerbate communal tensions.

“We submit this petition to draw your immediate attention to the alarming rise of hate speech, vigilantism, and targeted communal violence against the minority Muslim community in Uttarakhand and to request you to kindly direct the state government of Uttarakhand and the concerned authorities to take immediate measures to redress violent hate campaign,” the letter plea stated.