Chhattisgarh extends scope, term of 2013 Jheeram Ghati probe

CM Baghel’s announcement after judicial panel submits report to Governor

November 11, 2021 05:21 pm | Updated 08:14 pm IST - Raipur

Justice Satish K. Agnihotri.

Justice Satish K. Agnihotri.

Four days after a State government-appointed judicial commission submitted its report, eight years after the May 2013 Jheeram Ghati massacre, to the Governor, the ruling Congress Government in Chhattisgarh nominated a new chairperson and member while expanding the ambit of the Commission and setting a fresh deadline for the probe.

“On 23-09-2021, the secretary of the earlier commission has informed that investigations are still incomplete, and for that reason time extension should be granted,” said an order issued by the Chhattisgarh General Administration Department here on Thursday.

The term of the judicial commission — appointed on May 28, 2013, three days after the attack — ended on September 9, the order said. The chairperson of the commission, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra of the Chhattisgarh High Court, having being transferred as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the State Government has decided to nominate two new members in the commission, the order added.

As per the order, former High Court Judge Satish K. Agnihotri will be the chairperson and Justice G. Minhajuddin will be the member. Justice Minhajuddin has also served as a judge in the Chhattisgarh High Court.

The government has given the new panel a deadline of six-months to submit its report and has included few additional points on whether the victims were provided proper health care facilities after the incident and whether proper steps were taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents, among others in the order.

Ever since the commission's secretary, Chhattisgarh registrar (judicial) Santosh Kumar Tiwari, handed over the 10-volume, 4,184-page report to Governor Anasuiya Uikey last week, the Congress Government has alleged that it should have been submitted to the State government.

On Wednesday Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel gave indications of the new role of the Commission.

“The tenure of the judicial commission (constituted in 2013) was over but it said the report was yet to be completed. So definitely a decision will be taken after considering it and I think it will be decided very soon,” Mr. Baghel told reporters at Raipur airport.

Experts, however, say the Governor will have to forward the report to the State Government for further procedure and action and, usually without any comments.

On May 2013, naxals attacked a convoy of Congress leaders in Jheeram valley in Darbha area of Bastar district, killing 29 people, including then State Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma. Former Union minister Vidyacharan Shukla, who was seriously injured in this attack, later succumbed to injuries.

The Congress government set up a ten-member Special Investigation Team to probe the Jheeram valley incident January 2019.

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