Gauhati High Court Declines to Interfere in Excise Department’s Transfer Order

HOOCH TRAGEDY

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has declined to interfere in Dispur’s transfer order of 11 constables of the Excise department effected in the wake of the hooch tragedy that claimed over 150 lives in upper Assam in February.

The High Court has asked the petitioners to “approach” the authorities with their individual grievances for redressal.

A single judge bench of Justice N. Kotiswar Singh had passed his first order on March 14, involving nine petitioners and the second order on March 18 involving two petitioners, all of them seeking the interference of the High Court to stay the transfer.

The High Court has, however, gone with the Excise department’s submissions that the transfer was effected in “purely public interest” after the hooch tragedy.

More than 150 people, mostly from the tea gardens areas of Golaghat and Jorhat, died after drinking spurious and illicit liquor, on February 21. Altogether 94 died in Golaghat while another 60 lost their lives in Jorhat.

The petitioners (Excise department constables) had challenged their March 6 transfer orders to other districts before the Gauhati High Court. They contended their transfer could be only inter-district, and the transfer had created serious problems as some of them were suffering from various kinds of ailments and accordingly, had sought intervention by the high court.

The Excise department had submitted before the Gauhati High Court that the transfers were effected “considering certain tragic incidents” which had occurred in Golaghat district and the reshuffle was “purely in public interest”. If the petitioners have submitted their representations raising specific grievances the authority will look into the same, the department said.

After hearing both the sides, the Gauhati High Court said the “transfer did not suffer from any illegality” while declining to interfere with the transfers. However, the court said the petitioners were at liberty to “approach the authorities immediately so that their grievances can be addressed”. The petitioners may also apply to the authorities for granting reasonable joining time, the court said.

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