Show-cause notice: Rohith's family to take legal recourse 

The lawyer who is fighting Rohith's case says they will shortly file petition in the court.
Rohith Vemula | File Photo
Rohith Vemula | File Photo

VIJAYAWADA: Decrying injustice being meted out to Rohith Vemula's family by the State government with Guntur district collector Kantilal Dande serving show-cause notice on them, the latter had decided to take legal recourse. The lawyer who is fighting Rohith's case says they will shortly file petition in the court.

Describing the inquiry conducted as farce and biased, advocate UD Jai Bhima Rao said there are several glaring procedural lapses. In the report submitted to National SC Commission in 2016 by the Guntur district collector, the SC status of Rohith Vemula and his sibling was verified and the Commission too was satisfied with the report. 

“Why again there has been an inquiry and issuance of show-cause notice? It is being said the inquiry was conducted on basis of complaints lodged by three people, but the details of the complainants were not disclosed. Further, the issue was about caste certificate of Raja Vemula and not the rest of his family members, on what basis the show-cause notice was served on Rohith's mother and others?,” he questioned. 

'Glaring lapses in report'

Rao argued that as against the rules which clearly mandates that experts were to be members of the committee, no such people were part of the committee. “These are but a few lapses and there are several more. We are drafting our arguments accordingly,” he said.  Asked about what arguments they would make to prove the veracity of Rohith Vemula’s caste status, he said once it is submitted to the court, everyone would know. 

Meanwhile, experts opine that case could be in favour of Rohit Vemula’s family given the fact that Rohith’s mother Radhika Vemula was born in a Dalit family, though raised by a BC family. Further after separation from her husband, she along with her children for more that 20 years had lived among Dalit community, with her children suffering like others of the deprived communities. 

The show-cause notice served on Radhika Vemula’s family by the Guntur district collector has raised several eyebrows and the supporters of the family cried foul. 

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