Delhi High Court issues notice to Centre, Delhi Police on pleas related to Jamia violence

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Centre, the AAP government and the police to respond to several PILs seeking setting up of a judicial commission to look into the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Declining to pass any interim direction, including for protection of students from coercive action, a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar listed the matter for hearing on February 4.

The petitioners said this was the "most significant attack" on the students since Independence appealing the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to work as Amicus Curiae.

As the bench declined to pass any interim orders and rose from the dais, some of the lawyers appearing in the PILs shouted derogatory words against the judges and it was echoed by other advocates in court.

The court was hearing six petitions, moved by lawyers, students of JMI, residents of Okhla where the university is located and the Imam of Jama Masjid mosque opposite Parliament House, also sought medical treatment and compensation for the students.

Besides, they sought action, including registration of FIRs, against the erring police officers.

Senior advocate Vinay Kumar Garg, appearing in the petition filed by advocate Rizwan, told the court that according to medical reports of the injured students treated at AIIMS, one of them almost lost his life and another has lost his vision.

Garg said there ought to be an independent inquiry into the incident, in which over 50 students were injured and detained by police, as the agency "cannot be trusted to properly investigate" the conduct of its own officers.

He alleged that treatment provided to the injured students was "inadequate", FIRs have been lodged against them and they were being hounded like criminals.

Advocate Md Umar Khan, appearing in the plea moved by Manoj Dhiryan, argued that the police was not called by the Vice-Chancellor or Chief Proctor of the varsity and it had "barged" into the university "uninvited" with the "intention to quell the right to protest" of the students.

Similar sentiments were expressed by senior advocates Sanjay Hegde, Indira Jaising, Colin Gonsalves who appeared for the other petitioners, except the one filed by the Iman of Jama Masjid mosque opposite Parliament House here. With agency inputs