Amit Shah asks BJP CMs to file review plea on Supreme Court tribal eviction order
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Monday said he has asked chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states to file a review petition in the Supreme Court to stop eviction of tribals from forest areas.
india Updated: Feb 25, 2019 23:12 ISTBharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Monday said he has asked chief ministers of the BJP-ruled states to file a review petition in the Supreme Court to stop eviction of tribals from forest areas.
The top court had on February 13 ordered the chief secretaries of 17 states to evict an estimated one million tribal and other households whose claims of the right to live in forests under the Forest Rights Act 2006 were rejected on various grounds, including absence of proof that the land was in their possession for at least three.
It also said the eviction should be carried out on or before July 24, the next date of hearing.
“I have spoken to all CMs of BJP-ruled states in the situation arising out of Supreme Court’s order on eviction of tribals living in the forest areas. The states will be soon filing a review petition and care will be taken to safeguard the rights of our tribals and prevent eviction,” Shah tweeted.
“The BJP remains committed to the upliftment of our tribal brothers and sisters and we will do everything to protect their rights,” he said in another tweet.
Soon after Shah’s tweet, Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das announced that his government will seek review of the SC order.
“I have directed the officials to initiate steps in this regard. The government is fully dedicated to protect the interests of tribal and other families dependent on forests,” Das said in a statement.
Shah’s tweets come two days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced a similar step.
“The recent order of the Supreme Court deserves your urgent intervention. The court has directed state governments to evict tribals and other forest dwellers whose claims under the Forest Rights Act were rejected,” Gandhi wrote to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Bhagel on Saturday.
On Monday, the tribal rights organisations under the banner of Campaign for Survival and Dignity announced a series of protests from February 26 to March 10 against the court order in different parts of the country.
First Published: Feb 25, 2019 23:11 IST