JNU attacks: Court dismisses plea for separate FIR by assaulted prof

New delhi: Noting that a case had already been filed to probe the JNU attacks in January, a local court here dismissed a plea filed by Sucharita Sen, a professor at the varsity, seeking a fresh FIR in the case, citing she was also assaulted during the attacks.

The court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Singh Rajawat said that in order to decide whether a separate FIR should be registered into the complainant's case, "it is to be seen as to whether the action of violent mob on the JNU campus on January 5 in which the complainant is injured and damage caused to her car has any proximity of time and unity or community of purpose or design" an FIR for which has already been filed at the Vasant Kunj Police Station and is handled by Crime Branch.

Sen, represented by advocate Adit Pujari, had submitted that she suffered a head injury when she, along with several students and teachers, was holding a meeting at Sabarmati Tea Point at around 6:30 pm on January 5, when an armed mob allegedly came, pelted stones and thrashed the meeting attendees. She also alleged that her car was allegedly vandalised by the mob on the day of violence.

In her plea, Sen argued that a separate FIR is the norm for separate acts of violence and if the conspiracy allegedly hatched by "anti-social elements" for beating up students and teachers on the JNU campus is furthered into different offences then "there has to be a separate trial".

CMM Rajawat said that the injuries suffered by several persons including Sen due to the violence formed part of the same transaction "for which FIR has already been registered as it not only has proximity in time and place but also the damage to property and the injuries suffered by the complainant and other persons. The court hence ordered that no directions are required for registering a separate FIR on the complaint.

However, after the development in court, Sen spoke to Millennium Post over the phone and said the fact that only one case has been registered in the matter is a discrepancy.

Close to a year after the attacks inside the varsity campus, Sen said she has little expectations from the Delhi Police. She claimed the university administration, security guards and the Delhi Police were "perpetrators". As for the court refusing to direct a separate FIR in her case, Sen said she is exploring further legal options, one of which could be approaching the high court. She also hinted at collective legal action from hereon.