The Delhi High Court has taken strict judicial note of the alleged use of brutal force against political demonstrators at Jantar Mantar on July 20. While hearing a batch of public interest litigations concerning the chaotic events of that day, the court issued formal notices to both the central government and the Delhi Police. The bench has demanded a comprehensive and official response from the authorities regarding the serious allegations of unprovoked violence and lathi charge unleashed upon the protesting citizens.
Crucial Evidence To Be Preserved Immediately
To ensure a transparent and fair investigation into the clashes that unfolded during the mid-July protest, the judicial bench directed the law enforcement authorities to immediately secure all electronic and physical evidence. This sweeping order includes the mandatory preservation of all local CCTV footage from the Jantar Mantar area, audio-visual recordings from police body cameras worn by the deployed personnel, and any other relevant official logs or records pertaining to the police deployment and subsequent crowd control actions.
Government Defends Action, Claims Protest Was Violent
Representing the central authorities in the courtroom, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Raju vehemently defended the police's crowd control tactics. He stated that the demonstration, originally organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), had rapidly lost its peaceful character. The ASG alleged that specific individuals within the agitated crowd had resorted to active violence, necessitating a strong police response. Furthermore, he argued that the current petitions were essentially frivolous and filed solely to gain media publicity, highlighting the fact that none of the individuals who were allegedly victims of the assault had personally come forward to file a formal FIR or a court petition.
High Court Questions The Logic Of Separate FIRs
The High Court bench strongly pushed back against the government's defensive arguments. Responding directly to the ASG's claims, the court questioned the fundamental logic of dismissing these serious pleas as mere publicity stunts. The court pointedly asked how the authorities could realistically demand separate, individual FIRs from citizens when such a massive crowd was involved in the chaos. The judges reminded the government counsel that a relevant Supreme Court judgment already exists on managing such mass incidents, making the demand for individual complaints highly impractical.
Timeline Set For Next Legal Steps
Following the heated exchange, the court laid down a strict timeline for the legal proceedings. The central government and the Delhi Police have been granted a period of four weeks to file their detailed affidavits in reply to the court's notice. Following this submission, the petitioners will have exactly two weeks to submit their official rejoinder. The matter has been officially scheduled for its next detailed hearing on September 11. Meanwhile, the ground situation remains tense; security barricades at Jantar Mantar remain heavily fortified following disturbing reports and video evidence of an attempted lynching of a Rapid Action Force (RAF) jawan during the peak of the unrest.
