PIL on Durga Shakti Nagpal deferred till 19 August

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad high court has deferred till 19 August a PIL against the suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal. The PIL was filed on  Monday, 29 June, by social activist Nutan Thakur. In the petition, Thakur alleged that illegal mining and illegal constructions are problems plaguing the entire country. She adds that the Supreme Court had also issued a notice to state governments regarding it and Nagpal’s actions were right in this regard. [caption id=“attachment_1005177” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal.[/caption] The activist had urged the High Court to direct the Centre to probe Nagpal’s suspension and overturn it if it is found unlawful. With the Uttar Pradesh government going all out to justify their suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal, like _Firstpost_ noted in this article , very few options seem to be left open for the officer to demand justice. “If the communal harmony in the state is going to be affected, we have to take action,” UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told reporters after a cabinet meeting in Lucknow. 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.