Stay on recognition of 2,367 guerrillas extended

The Supreme Court today extended for two weeks its earlier order that had stayed a High Court judgment directing the government to recognise 2,367 members of a guerrilla force as freedom fighters.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha passed the order in response to a government petition that sought stay on the HC verdict.

The government in the first week of October submitted the petition to the SC seeking stay on the HC verdict.

The High Court on September 8 directed the government to recognise 2,367 members of the guerrilla force, who participated in the 1971 Liberation War, as freedom fighters.

Responding to a writ petition, it declared illegal the government's decision voiding recognition of the guerrilla fighters as freedom fighters on October 29, 2014 and ordered the government to give them status, dignity and facilities on a par with freedom fighters.

Later on October 9, a chamber judge of the SC stayed the HC verdict till today (October 30) and sent the stay petition to the Appellate Division for its hearing.