HC asks police to file replies on all pleas in two days
new delhi: The Delhi High Court Monday directed Delhi Police to file responses within two days on various pleas related to the violence during Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) university protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act last December.
The court's order came after it was informed by the counsel for some of the petitioners that Delhi Police has filed its response only in a few petitions and not all. Respondents (Delhi Police) have filed consolidated replies in a few matters. We direct the respondents to file replies in all the matters within two days. Rejoinder, if any, be filed in four days thereafter, said a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan.
Advocate Rajat Nair, appearing for the Delhi Police, said they have filed a consolidated reply in all the petitions. To this, the bench said the agency has to file replies in all the matters and not take an easy recourse. The court added that the copies of counter affidavit and rejoinder be supplied to all the parties before the next date of hearing on July 21, so that it can hear arguments on that day.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for some of the petitioners, said the police have not filed the reply in three petitions seeking compensation for grave injuries caused to the students due to alleged police beating and action against the erring officials. The consolidated affidavit of the police was filed in six of the nine petitioners in the Jamia violence matter. Meanwhile, the petitioners filed the list of issues to be adjudicated in the matter.
Nair submitted they had received the list late last night and sought time to analyse the issues and respond. On June 6, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Delhi Police, had taken strong exception to the language used in certain paragraphs of the rejoinder filed by one of the petitioners in the matter and said you cannot malign constitutional authorities like this and they are more of a political statement made at a protest site.
