SC to hear force plea..against interim stay to withdraw half of CAPF from hills

TT, New Delhi: The Supreme Court will take up on Friday the Union government's appeal challenging Calcutta High Court's interim stay on the Centre's decision to withdraw almost half of its troops from the Darjeeling hills.

A bench headed by Justice J. Chelameshwar listed the matter for urgent consideration on Friday after the Centre's counsel, Wasim Ahmed Quadri, sought an early hearing of the appeal.

"Thinning of CAPFs from the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir and Ling Wing Extremist-affected areas poses danger to internal security. Therefore, the Centre cannot prolong the deployment of its forces on the demand of states and ignore such critical considerations relating to internal security," Quadri said.

He also questioned the authority of the high court order, which, he said, sought to interfere in policy decisions of the Centre.

The high court has stayed the Centre's decision to withdraw the forces till October 27, saying such a move should not be taken at a time the state government has said it is trying to restore peace in the hills.

"There are onerous responsibilities of the CAPFs, like in the borders. The deployment in states is done very carefully, ensuring that sensitive internal situations are duly factored in," the lawyer said.