Uttarakhand HC to state: Why keep Joshimath report secret?

The Uttarakhand High Court has expressed concerns about the state government’s decision to keep confidential the reports produced by eight central scientific and technical institutions regarding the subsidence in Joshimath.

Commenting on the matter, a division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Alok Kumar Verma said: “We see no reason that the state should keep the reports prepared by the experts secret, and should not disclose the same to the public at large. In fact, circulation of the said reports will provide vital information to the public, and the public would have confidence in them that the State is serious about dealing with the situation, as it has emerged in the aforesaid areas.”

The court was hearing a recall application submitted by the state government concerning the chief secretary’s presence in the case. The court granted the chief secretary exemption from personal attendance while making concise remarks regarding the reports. The state had provided sealed copies of the reports to the court for examination during the hearing.

After cracks appeared in several houses in Joshimath in January, the government had enlisted eight technical institutions to prepare a study report.