Bailable warrants against home secys of 12 states: SC

New Delhi, Mar 28: Taking exception to the casual attitude of the state governments to its orders, the Supreme Court today directed the home secretaries of 12 states to be personally present to explain why the court's order dated January 24 has not been complied with.

A bench comprising Justices H K Sema and V S Sirpurkar directed the issuance of bailable warrant against home secretaries of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Meghalaya in case they fail to appear before the court on April 24. The apex court had granted eight weeks time to these states on January 24 to file their response to a PIL seeking release of those serving life imprisonment in various jails in the country who have completed 14 years in terms of the judgement of the court in Maru Ram's case.

The 12 states have failed to carry out the directions issued by the highest court of land.

The court expressed its strong disapproval of the attitude of the Indian bureaucracy towards the orders and directions of the court. The PIL filed by petitioner M K Balakrishnan has pleaded before the court that a large number of life convicts are languishing in jail despite having completed 14 years in jail and they be set free forthwith.

UNI