SC to hear plea for CBI probe into Kandhmal violence

• When senior advocate Colin Gonzalves mentioned the matter before the Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, the Chief Justice asked the petitioner to move to the Orissa High Court.
• However, the petitioner contended before the court that it is not possible as he feels there is a threat to his life there.
• The apex court also asked the state government to put on affidavit whether any permission was granted to VHP leader Praveen Togadia for his proposed Yatra carrying the ash of slain leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
• India's Supreme Court yesterday told Orissa's government to submit a report on steps taken to protect Christians, after the Archbishop of Cuttack filed a petition demanding compensation for victims and a federal investigation of the riots.
• The Orissa government today told the Supreme Court that it has deployed federal and state police in the riot-hit districts and no violence had taken place in the last few days.
• The state government won't allow any rally by the Hindu group, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Orissa government advocate, K.K. Venugopal, told the court. The group's leader, Pravin Togadia, planned a rally on Sept. 7 to carry the mortal remains of the slain religious leader.
• ``The people in the camps should be protected. Steps should be taken to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state,'' Supreme Court Chief Justice, K.G. Balakrishnan, said.
• The attacks are the second outbreak of unrest in Orissa since December, which underlines the need for the government to develop preventive strategies, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a statement posted on its Web site.