New Delhi:
In a big relief to the Union Home Ministry and the states which use them in security operations against Naxalites and militants, the Supreme Court today said that its July 5 order banning Special Police Officers (SPOs) will apply only to Chhattisgarh and not to other states.
The SPOs are civilians who are trained in security duties, including anti-insurgency operations, and provided with firearms. They are paid a monthly emolument by the governments of the states where they are deployed.
In July, the Supreme Court directed the Centre not to use SPOs in internal security to fight Naxalites. The Centre approached the apex court requesting it to modify the order as it would be difficult for the government to maintain security in the affected areas.
Today, the Centre told the court that it was using SPOs in several states and that disbanding them would create problems. It requested that the order should be applied only to Chhattisgarh.
The court asked the petitioner who filed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the matter whether the petition referred to the entire country or was restricted to just Chhattisgarh.
After the petitioner told the court that the petition was only for Chhattisgarh, the court passed an order saying the July 5 order would apply only to that state.
After the July 5 order, the Centre had maintained that SPOs played a key role not just in anti-Naxal operations in states like Chhattisgarh but also in countering militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states.
In Chhattisgarh, armed SPOs have been a part of the civilian militia Salwa Judum which was formed in 2006 to counter the Naxalites. Estimates for the number of SPOs, who are drawn from villages in the affected areas and have been the target of regular attacks by the Naxalites, run into several thousands.
The Chhattisgarh government today told the court that it had brought in a law not to use SPOs. The Supreme Court has given it time to vacate the school buildings occupied by the security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations.