Judgment

Thomas, J.-Leave granted.

There was a stir in support of the demand for a separate State of Uttarakhand comprising of certain hilly regions of the State of U.P. and some other areas. The stir collected momentum when the State Government issued a notification in 1994 pertaining to reservation in educational institutions based on region-wise domicile. The agitationists fixed up the Gandhi Jayanti day in 1994 for staging a public rally at New Delhi for the twin objective of protesting against the notifica­tion and to press the demand for the separate State. The administra­tion took stern measures to resist the protestors’ march towards the National Capital as the officials claimed to have received secret information that the proposed rallysts were carrying lethal weapons in violation of the prohibitory orders issued by the Government and might create serious law and order situation. The confrontation which ensued had resulted in lot of blood-shed including loss of many lives, infli­ction of injuries on persons belonging to both sides, outraging the modesty of women ranging to ravishments.

2. An association styling itself as “Uttarakhand Sangharsh Samity” (for short “the Samity”)