Uttarakhand High Court slams government over living conditions of Van Gujjars
The Hindu
It directed steps should be taken to allow their entry into Govind Pashu Vihar National Park to eke out a living if they test negative for COVID-19 and have the required legal documents with them.
The Uttarakhand High Court has reprimanded the State government for stopping some Van Gujjar families on the way to Govind Pashu Vihar National Park in Uttarkashi district and said their right to life is being violated by the authorities. Hearing a PIL filed by an NGO to seek the court’s intervention in addressing the plight of the forest-dwelling nomadic families on Tuesday, a division Bench of the Uttarakhand High Court comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma ordered immediate steps to address the problems of the families. “...Prima facie, the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India is being violated by the respondents,” the court observed.“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”