Rail/road blockades: Supreme Court warns Centre of special courts

New Delhi, Nov 22 (PTI) The Supreme Court of India today warned that it would pass orders for creating special courts to try agitators blocking rail and road traffic as they paralyse normal public activities resulting in untold hardships to people. A bench of the apex court granted three weeks to the Indian government to come out with concrete suggestions to tackle the menace, failing which it will intervene to ensure prosecution of the agitators for the criminal offence. "We are going to order mandatory prosecution of those who give calls for rail and rasta roko (rail and road stoppage). Cases against them should be disposed in three months. We are intending to pass orders for creation of special courts for this," the bench said. The apex court made the remarks while dealing with a public interest litigation relating to a rail-road blockage in 2010 following attacks in a village in Haryana state in which two persons were killed. The apex court later granted three weeks for the Centre to suggest norms for stopping such blockades and penalising those who were involved in such agitations. PTI