A senior government official present at the meeting said that at the moment, there at just above 4,000 adivasis that are undertrials in jails, in just over 1,100 cases. (Photo for representational purpose)Two months after it was set up, a high-powered panel which intends to reassess cases against tribals in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar held its first meeting on Monday, and plotted a roadmap ahead.
The panel, which was set up just before the Model Code of Conduct came into place for the Lok Sabha elections in the state, is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) A K Patnaik, and includes senior police officials such as the DGP, senior ministry officials, and members of concerned departments.
A government release said that cases against tribals across the seven districts of Bastar, as well as one additional district of Rajnandgaon which is deemed Maoist affected, were surveyed, and their present statuses in court were seen.
The state said that a decision was taken to act in accordance with law in a case-by-case basis based on its merits in order to give justice for tribals in a time bound manner.
The release also added that responsibilities were also divided up among senior members of the panel. For instance, the assessment of cases connected to Maoism will be overseen by DIG Anti Naxal Operations P Sundar Raj; DIG CID Sanjiv Shukla will look at cases under broader IPC; and excise officials will look at cases under the excise law.
A senior government official present at the meeting said that at the moment, there at just above 4,000 adivasis that are undertrials in jails, in just over 1,100 cases.
“This first meeting was to understand the complex issue. Essentially, data was assimilated on what kinds of cases there are. The panel intends to move forward transparently, and carefully,” the official said.
