reducedtoashes

XIV
Reduced to Ashes
beit under the close scrutiny of over 20 officials from the Punjab government
and the Punjab police. Ostensibly, these officials were also present for inspecting
the CBI records. However, their real purpose became clear when one of
them objected to the CIIP being permitted to inspect a particular bundle of files.
The assistant registrar of the commission present immediately stopped the CIIP's
inspection.
8 October 2001:, A joint inspection was carried out under the supervision of R.
Venkataramani, the Amicus Curiae appointed by the NHRC to assist it. This
inspection made it clear that the record produced by the CBI would be of very
little help for two reasons. First, because it was, mostly, illegible, and second,
because the record produced was very sketchy. If this was, as claimed, the
entire record seized by the CBI in the course of its investigations, it was indicative
of the poor quality of the investigation done.
29 November 2001: The NHRC called for submissions from the parties suggesting
the "points of substance" (issues) to be framed for further proceedings
confined, in the first instance, to the cases of the 582 identified cremations.
4 February 2002: After hearing the parties and the Amicus Curiae, the NHRC
framed four "issues" that "arise for consideration in respect of the fully identified
bodies".
2 September 2002: After a series of postponed hearings, the NHRC met to
resume the proceedings. The Punjab government submitted an application asking
for the reformulation of the "points of substance".
16 September 2002: The Punjab government decided not to press its application
for a review of the "points of substance" framed by the NHRC. The
commission allowed the state government's prayer for permission to inspect the
documents seized by the CBI and directed that after such an inspection, it should
file affidavits with respect to each of the 582 "identified" cremations by 31
October 2002.
There has not been any hearing in the case since. Justice Verma, the chairperson
of the NHRC during 2000-2002, retired in January 2003. Justice A.S. Anand
has taken over as the chairperson of the commission in mid-February 2003. Till
the end of February 2003, the Punjab government had filed its affidavits in 102
cases of "identified" cremations.
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