Supreme Court pulls up Mayawati, Bhupinder Singh Hooda for supporting Jat stir

Conscious of the fact that the agitation by the Jats demanding quota in jobs has been politicised by the parties that are ruling Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, the Supreme Court has directed the Rajasthan government to ensure that the supply of water and other essential commodities to the capital is not affected.

The Indian Oil Corporation and the Delhi Jal Board have filed urgent petitions seeking directions to the Centre and the governments of UP and Haryana which are governed by BSP chief Mayawati and Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda respectively to ensure that normal life is not affected by the agitators.

It said Mayawati and Hooda have supported the Jat agitation.
Taking exception to the “support” extended by Mayawati and Hooda to Jat stir, a bench of justices Altamas Kabir and Dalveer Bhandari on Thursday observed, “We are constrained to pass the order having regard to the statements made by the highest functionaries of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh indicating support to the agitation’’.

Agitating Jats have threatened to cut off supply of essentials to Delhi if their demands for reservation in central jobs are not met.
“We make it clear that while citizens have right to protest, we also make it clear that resorting to such steps should not lead to disruption of supply of essential commodities in the interests of citizen,” an anguished bench added.

Judges also directed Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments to ensure that transportation of oil and petroleum products from Mathura and Panipat oil refineries to Delhi is not affected in any manner’.

In Chandigarh, the Punjab and Haryana high court directed the Haryana government to immediately get the rail tracks and other blockades cleared to restore normal movement of trains.