"It's high time now, why are you not implementing the witness protection scheme. The witnesses in criminal cases need to be protected," said a bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan.
Granting Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana the last opportunity to file their replies to a plea by four key witnesses in a rape case of minors allegedly involving Asaram Bapu, being tried in Jodhpur, the bench asked them to reply within four weeks.
The counsel appearing for Rajasthan said the ongoing trial of the case at Jodhpur is almost over.
Advocate Utsav Singh Bains appearing for four witnesses in the case sought a SIT probe into the instances of attacks and disappearances of the witnesses in cases against Asaram and pleaded for expeditious framing of the national witness protection guidelines.
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On November 18 last year, the apex court had asked the Centre and the states to reply to the pleas by witnesses in cases against Asaram. The witnesses had also demanded their protection.
"A very dangerous scenario has emerged which attacks the heart of our constitutional rights and freedoms, where the rich and powerful accused openly subvert the rule of law and pollute the streams of justice by murdering, attacking and threatening witnesses with impunity.
"Recently several witnesses in the Asaram Bapu and Narayan Sai rape cases were killed, attacked or went missing under mysterious circumstances," their plea said.