Taking suo motu cognisance of the reported abduction of 35 children by Naxalites in Gumla district, the Jharkhand High Court today asked the Centre and the state governments to reply within a week.
Terming the news report published in "the Prabhat Khabar" as "alarming and shocking", a division bench of Chief Justice Virendra Singh and Justice P P Bhatt ordered notices to Union Home Ministry, Jharkhand Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Home, Jharkhand, DGP, Principal Secretary to Women and Child Development Department.
Making the notice returnable on May 1, the high court appointed Advocate Sumeet Gadodia as Amius Curiae.
Considering the gravity of such an incident in the state, the court said it being a constitutional court dealing with PIL feels that suo motu cognisance is required to be taken and the authorities responsible for protection of citizens and children need to be called upon for taking further appropriate actions.
The newspaper report also stated that the Naxalites threatened of dire consequences to the people in Bishunpur block of Gumla district if they failed to give five children for induction in Naxal group or if they opposed them.
