UP govt withdraws recovery notices against anti-CAA protesters

Lucknow, Feb 18: The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has withdrawn notice sent to the anti-CAA protesters seeking to recover damages.

The move comes after the Supreme Court pointed out last week that the state may have overreached itself.

The top court said that the proceedings initiated in December 2019 were contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court and cannot be sustained.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant said that the Uttar Pradesh government has acted like a "complainant, adjudicator and prosecutor" by itself in conducting the proceedings to attach the properties of the accused. "Withdraw the proceedings or we will quash it for being in violation of the law laid down by this court," the bench said.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by one Parwaiz Arif Titu seeking quashing of notices sent to alleged protestors by the district administration for recovering losses caused by damage to public properties during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) agitations in Uttar Pradesh and asked the state to respond to it.

The plea has alleged that such notices have been sent in an "arbitrary manner" against a person, who had died six years ago at the age of 94 and also to several others including two people who are aged above 90.

On July 9, last year, the top court had asked the UP government not to take action on earlier notices sent to the alleged protestors by the district administration for recovering losses caused by damage to public property during the anti-CAA agitations in the state.

The apex court stated however that the state can take action as per the law and in accordance with new rules.