Attacks On Christians: Odisha & 7 Other States Asked To Verify Claims In 2 Months

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to seek reports from states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand, on attacks on Christian institutions referred to in a plea.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hima Kohli said if 10 per cent of the cases alleged in the PIL is true then it needs to go to the bottom of the issue. “We need to separate the grain from the chaff, even though we believe that an attack on individuals does not mean it is an attack on the community. We need to verify the claims of any such incident claimed in the public interest litigation,” the top court observed.

Chief Secretaries of these states should ensure that information on registration of FIR, the status of investigation, arrests made, and chargesheet is given. The verification exercise should be carried out within two months and an affidavit filed before it, the court added.