SC dismisses PIL challenging Durga Nagpal suspension

The Supreme Court has dismissed a PIL that challenged the suspension of Durga Shakti Nagpal by the Uttar Pradesh government. The court had reportedly said that the suspension order had to be challenged in an ‘appropriate forum’. The PIL was filed on Monday, 29 June, by social activist Nutan Thakur. The Supreme Court also issued a notice to the UP government demanding an explanation as to why Dalit writer Kanwal Bharti, who had criticised the government on Facebook, was arrested. [caption id=“attachment_1037887” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Options running out for Durga: Image from IBNlive[/caption] In the petition, Thakur alleged that illegal mining and illegal constructions are problems plaguing the entire country. She added that the Supreme Court had also issued a notice to state governments regarding it and Nagpal’s actions were right in this regard. Contending that the action taken against Nagpal was arbitrary, unconstitutional and malafide, the PIL has sought quashing of all proceedings against the 2010 batch IAS officer who had clamped down on the mining mafia in Gautam Budh Nagar area of UP. With the SC dismissing the PIL, one more option has closed for the IAS officer. The Samajwadi Party has been refusing to revoke the suspension on the basis that it acted correctly. The 28-year-old Sub-Divisional Magistrate was suspended on 27 July ostensibly for ordering the demolition of the wall of an under-construction mosque in a village in Noida without following the due process. The UP government had on 4 August served a charge sheet on the officer, asking her to submit an explanation for her conduct. Nagpal had taken on the sand mafia in the state. According to reports, several SP leaders are hand-in-glove with the sand mafia in the state. In a video that surfaced today, Samajwadi Party leader Narendra Bhati is shown boasting of how he ‘got rid’ of the IAS officer in just 40 minutes. Reports have alleged that Bhati is a close associate of Omendra Khari a big player in the illegal quarrying business. The case has generated huge publicity and has had massive political implications. Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to ensure Nagpal was not treated unfairly, prompting angry outbursts from within the SP. Senior leader Naresh Aggarwal said that the party would not support the Food Security Bill, while Ram Gopal Yadav told the centre to recall IAS officers.