SC issues notice to Centre on Ramdev's eviction

Taking suo motu cognisance of forceful eviction of yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his followers from the Ramlila grounds here, the Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre's response on the incident.

A vacation bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatenter Kumar issued notices to the Union home secretary, chief secretary of Delhi, Delhi administration, and Delhi police commissioner asking them to respond within two weeks.

The court asked them to reply as to what were the circumstances under which the people had to be dispersed at midnight by the use of force.

The court posted the matter for hearing in the second week of July.

However, the court declined to entertain a petition filed by advocate Ajay Aggarwal on the issue.

The bench expressed its displeasure that before the matter came up for hearing before it, the entire contents of the petition were leaked to the media.

Police had cracked down on Baba Ramdev and thousands of his supporters at Ramlila Maidan on Saturday night, forcibly ending their hunger strike on corruption and black money issues.