(Image: IANS)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday once again pulled up Haryana’s government for providing incomplete data on drought situation asked the state government if it was joking about the situation.
The furious Supreme Court was hearing a petition seeking help for farmers at a time when 10 states have declared drought.
Haryana government had submitted an affidavit earlier, but had given incomplete data.
Commenting on that, the apex court said, “Why should we take incomplete affidavit? We have to cross check those figures again if you give those affidavits later… We will not accept your affidavit now. This is not a show.”
The court today refused to hear Haryana’s fresh affidavit in the case.
Last week, the apex court came down heavily on Gujarat and Haryana governments for their
non-seriousness in dealing with the issue of drought.
A bench comprising Justices M B Lokur and N V Ramana took both the state governments to task for filing shoddy statistics on the drought hit areas in both the states, asking them whether all work would stop in case there are elections.
“Why have you filed all this? You found these papers in your office and filed them here? Is this seriousness that you show on this issue? People are dying. This is not some picnic you are having in Haryana,” the bench observed.
The plea on the drought report from the state was filed by former Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav’s organisation Swaraj Abhiyaan.
During the last hearing, the court had pulled up the Centre for seeking more time as the Additional Solicitor General was busy in another court and had failed to turn up for the hearing.
As the hearing was to commence, Additional Solicitor General Anand’s junior sought ‘one week time’ as she was not unavailable.