Former Supreme Court Justice BS Chauhan to lead judicial probe into Leh violence

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday announced that former Supreme Court Justice BS Chauhan will inquire into the recent police action against protestors in Leh..Justice Chauhan was a judge of the top court between 2009 and 2014. He had earlier been the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court and prior to that a judge of Allahabad and Rajasthan High Courts.After retiring from the Supreme Court, he served as the chairperson of the Law Commission from 2016 to 2018. He later also headed the inquiry commission that cleared the Uttar Pradesh Police of wrongdoing in the alleged encounter killing of gangster Vikas Dubey.In Leh, four men were killed and several wounded during a police action against the protestors demanding statehood and the Sixth Schedule Status for Ladakh. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and other leaders leading the agitation were taken into custody shortly after the violent protests in September. .The political and religious bodies leading the agitation in Ladakh had been demanding a judicial probe into the police action. It was one of the conditions for resumption of talks with the Union government. “In order to ensure an impartial inquiry the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, today, notified a Judicial Inquiry to be conducted by Hon'ble Dr. Justice B. S. Chauhan (Former Judge, Hon'ble Supreme Court of India) into the circumstances leading to the serious law and order situation, the police action and the resultant unfortunate death of the four individuals,” the MHA said in a press release..According to a notification issued by the MHA, Justice Chauhan will be assisted by retired District & Sessions Judge Mohan Singh Parihar as Judicial Secretary and IAS officer Tushar Anand as Administrative Secretary..Meanwhile, the Central government said that it was always open for dialogue to address the grievances of residents in Ladakh.“We would continue to welcome the discussion with Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) through the High Powered Committee on Ladakh or any such platform. We are confident that continuous dialogue would yield the desired results in near future. The Government stands committed to the aspiration of people of Ladakh,” the MHA said in the press note.