Delhi court ordered judicial custody of 17 India Gate protesters after police revealed they gave wrong addresses and attacked officers during an anti-pollution protest. The court said the accused made a “mockery of law” by hiding their identity and obstructing police duty.
New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Thursday informed a Delhi court that several students arrested during the protest at India Gate over rising pollution levels had created a mockery of the legal system by giving false residential details and deliberately hiding their identities.
The protests had turned violent, leading to an alleged assault on police personnel deployed at the site.
The matter was heard by Judicial Magistrate Sahil Monga, who was dealing with the case of 17 students arrested on November 23.
These students were allegedly part of a protest that escalated into aggressive behaviour and violence towards the police.
While presenting their argument before the court, the Delhi Police stated,
“It is very astounding that most of the accused persons before the court furnished incorrect addresses. The information sheet of most accused persons has been received back unverified by the local police. This proves that the accused persons are not only making a mockery of the law but also deliberately hiding their identity,”
the Delhi Police told the court, according to PTI.
Taking note of the situation, the court ordered different custody periods for the accused students. Four students were sent to two days of police custody, while the remaining 13 were sent to one day of judicial custody.
The four students who were sent to two-day judicial custody were identified as Gurkirat, Ravjot, Kranti, and Abhinash.
The police registered the case against all 17 students under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to assault or use of criminal force to stop a public servant from doing duty, obstructing government officials, and conspiracy to commit offences against the State.
Explaining the sequence of events, the police told the court that on November 23, a group of students gathered outside the Parliament Street police station and began shouting slogans against the government in an aggressive manner.
They allegedly blocked the main gate, stopping normal entry and exit of police personnel and the public.
The police further stated,
“When police staff tried to control and remove the protesters from the gate of police station, they started scuffling with the police and attacked the police staff in which seven police personnel also got injured, who were medically examined,”
On the other side, the defence lawyers strongly opposed the police request for custody and argued that there was no solid evidence against their clients. They claimed that the students should not be punished or detained simply because the police failed to verify their addresses.
Questioning the need for custodial interrogation, the defence counsel stated,
“What do they want to investigate? Investigation can be done without custody. The accused cannot be put in custody just because their address could not be verified by the police,”
It was also highlighted that earlier, on November 24, the same court had sent all 17 protesters to three days of judicial custody.
This decision came after noting that the protesters had raised controversial slogans glorifying the slain Maoist leader Madvi Hidma during the demonstration.
The case continues to raise serious legal and political questions about the balance between the right to protest and maintaining public order, especially when demonstrations turn violent and involve attacks on law enforcement personnel.
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