Indian Supreme Court to hear case against role of Indian Army in Sri Lanka war

Friday, 18 April 2014 03:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

New Delhi: India’s Supreme Court on Friday will hear a writ petition for a probe by a Special Investigation Team into the alleged role of the Indian Army in the war in Sri Lanka. A petition has been filed in the apex court by Ram Sankar, an advocate and human rights activist saying that a probe was necessary since the UN Secretary General’s expert panel report implicates Indian armed forces for their involvement with the Sri Lankan army in alleged war crimes against Tamil civilians, including persons of Indian origin, according to a report in The Hindu. The petitioner has alleged that the Indian government deployed its Army in Sri Lanka without the authority and approval of the President of India and without the sanction of Parliament. He has claimed that there was no provision in the Indian Constitution for permitting the use of the Indian Army for any purpose in a foreign soil other than for the defence of India. He has also cited a report by the Permanent People’s Tribunal indicting the Indian government for the involvement of its Army in the war. The petitioner has said that the aid and abetment of the Indian Army with the Sri Lankan armed forces was unlawful and has sought a direction to probe into the role of Indian Army in the killings.