New Delhi: The Supreme Court today declined
to entertain PILs seeking its direction to the Centre to hold
referendum before giving statehood to the Union Territory
Puducherry.
"How can you ask for holding referendum,?" a Bench headed
by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said, asking the petitioners
to approach the appropriate authority with the plea.
"We don't say that you have no case. These matters have
to be taken up at a different level," the Bench, also
comprising Justices R V Raveendran and Deepak Verma, said.
"We can't give any direction," it said.
Senior Advocate P S Narasimha, appearing for a group of
residents who approached the Court, pleaded that due to
political compulsion, the government is considering to grant
statehood to the Union Territory, which will be against the
wishes of the people living there.
"It is not viable to grant statehood to Puducherry and
people are also against such move. It would affect development
of this area as there will be less grant given by the Centre
after it becomes a state," he said adding people's wish must
be taken into consideration before taking any such
decisions.
The Pondicherry Government Employees Federation in its
PIL pleaded giving statehood would be violative of a treaty
between India and France which says the area should be
administered according to the provisions of 1954 agreement
between the two countries.
-PTI
First Published: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 00:47
