Plea alleging attacks against Christians: SC seeks report

In a plea seeking directions to stop alleged attacks against Christian priests and Christian institutions across the country, the Supreme Court directed Chief Secretaries of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh to share information regarding steps taken by their respective law enforcement agencies with respect to the violence alleged in the plea within a period of three weeks.

The PIL has been filed by Archbishop of Bangalore Diocese Dr Peter Machado along with the National Solidarity Forum, the Evangelical Fellowship of India.

Earlier, the court had directed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to obtain verification reports from eight states, namely Bihar, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh on the steps taken. The Apex Court was of the view that reports would aid it in forming opinion on states’ compliance with the directions issued in the judgment of Tehseen Poonawalla vs. Union of India. However, Aishwarya Bhati, Additional Solicitor General submitted that while the State of Haryana had provided requisite details in pursuance of the order, the others had not supplied the information.

Garima Prashad, Additional Advocate General for the State of Uttar Pradesh stated that UP had already furnished the information. The bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice JB Pardiwala noted: “This discrepancy shall be duly reconciled within a period of one week and the State of Uttar Pradesh shall furnish another copy of all the information as required to be furnished in terms of the order dated September 1, 2022.”