Platform for Joint Action Against Hydropower Project application in High Court dismissed as withdrawn

GANGTOK, 21 June: The memorandum of the “Platform for Joint Action Against Hydropower Project”, submitted to the Chief Justice, High Court of Sikkim, which was initially taken up by the Court as a Civil Miscellaneous Application was heard today for consideration as a writ petition. The division bench of the High Court comprising of Chief Justice Permod Kohli and Justice Sonam P Wangdi today observed that the application had failed to impress the court and that the issues raised in the application had no evidence to act on. The High Court accordingly allowed the petitioners to withdraw the petition with the liberty to file a proper writ petition afresh.
The organization had, on 21 May, submitted a memorandum to the Chief Justice highlighting, apart from other allegations, a report published in Current News, a Delhi-based English weekly, which had alleged a Rs. 20,000 crore scam in the hydel sector in Sikkim. The memorandum had called on the CJ to consider its “letter for taking up as a a suo-moto cognizance / P.I.L”.
The Platform for Joint Action Against Hydropower Project comprises of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), National Sikkimese Bhutia Organsiation (NASBO, Art.371F), All Sikkim Educated Self Employed & Unemployed Association (ASESE&UA), Affected Citizens of Teesta, SAVE Sikkim, Concerns Lepchas of Sikkim (CLOS), Denzong Chyari Tsogpa (DCT) and All Sikkim Monasteries’ Association (ASMAN).
The Court also observed today that most of the issues raised in the memorandum were already featured in the two writ petitions highlighting concerns on environment, faith and misappropriation and hence there was no need to take up the same matter in a separate application. If the petitioners feel so, they are at liberty to approach the Court in proper manner and proper writ, the bench remarked.
Sunil J. Mathew, the counsel for the petitions accordingly withdrew the application and while speaking to media-persons later, said that they would have a proper petition drafted and filed within a month.