Criticising the Government for lacking the required will to tackle the unabated attacks being carried out against north Indians by Raj Thackeray-led MNS in Mumbai, the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a PIL, seeking protection of life and liberty of individuals besides properties, on November 10.

Underlining that it (hate attacks) was more of a political matter, a Bench of Justices B N Agarwal and G S Singhvi observed, “It is a political matter and intervention by the court would not help.”

After advocate Sugriva Dubey appearing for petitioner Salek Chand Jain, a businessman, urged the Bench to take up the matter “suo motu” on the lines of Gurjjar agitation, Justice Agarwal made it clear that a precedent was not set by that matter. “It is the lack of the political will, or else it would have been stopped. People have to be educated,” the court noted.

Agreeing on the gravity of the issue, the Bench even grilled the counsel about his knowledge of Article 355 of the Constitution. The provision that mandates the Central Government to protect states against external aggression and internal disturbances, reads as: “It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the Government of every state is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”

Observing that while the issue raised was “serious”, the petition was “non-serious” in terms of material to support the arguments, the Bench told the counsel to amend the petition. After that, it would be taken up for hearing.

... contd.