New Delhi: A remark by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, declining to watch videos of an alleged police crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar, has drawn questions from members of the legal fraternity.
Advocate A Saravanan said, “It’s very unfortunate that the chief justice had to make this remark. The common man in this country is having faith only in the judiciary. When the chief justice makes such remarks, while the whole country is witnessing the Police brutality live streamed, it serves as a dampener for the public spirited citizens of this country.”
Supreme Court lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan said, “This is yet another unacceptable remark from the head of our judiciary. It is the Court’s constitutional obligation to see evidence of State excesses. The Supreme Court exists to protect the people from the Government, not the Government from the people.”
Senior lawyer and former Solicitor General of India Harish Salve struck a different note, saying he was not aware of the context. “I do not know what context this comment was made — if someone wants to move the SC, any video on which the allegations are based should be put on affidavit before the court, so that if it is found to be inaccurate, there is accountability. The SC does not do justice based on media reports,” he said.
What Happened In Court
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 22) refused an urgent hearing of a petition seeking action against Delhi Police for allegedly beating students during the Cockroach Janata Party-led protest near Jantar Mantar on Monday.
Lawyer Narendra Mishra had sent a letter petition to the CJI on Tuesday, seeking action against the Delhi Police and requesting an urgent hearing.
When the matter came up before a bench headed by the CJI, counsel for the petitioners told the court that they also had video of the alleged attack. The Chief Justice replied, “Don’t waste our time. We don’t want to watch any videos.”
What The Petition Sought
The petition asked the court to:
- Take suo motu judicial cognisance of what it described as a violation of fundamental rights and non-compliance with binding judgments of the Supreme Court by the Delhi Police during a peaceful public protest.
- Constitute an independent judicial inquiry by a sitting bench of the Supreme Court.
- Direct the registration of appropriate FIRs against officials of the Delhi Police, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and other authorities named in the plea.
Jantar Mantar Protest
On Monday, protesters marched towards Parliament on the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” call, leading to clashes with Delhi Police. Protesters accused the security forces of using excessive force.
Protesters at the site told Times Now Digital that a senior officer they identified as Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba assaulted women protesters and pointed to footage circulating online that they said showed the incident. Times Now Digital has not independently verified the footage or the identification.
Delhi Police have not responded to the specific allegation; the force has denied that any violence took place at Jantar Mantar. “Some segments from media have mentioned sporadic use of violence/detentions at Jantar Mantar by Delhi Police. It is informed that no such incident has taken place and the protest is being handled professionally. All are requested not to fall pray to any rumour/misgivings, and, to assist Delhi Police in maintaining peace and public order at and around the site,” the police said in a statement.