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Delhi

Jamia violence: Police cannot judge itself, says sr advocate

new delhi: Senior advocate Salman Khurshid on Tuesday submitted before the Delhi High Court that the police cannot become a judge in its own cause while arguing for an independent probe into the alleged police brutality inside the Jamia Millia Islamia University campus on the night of December 15 last year.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan was hearing a batch of petitions calling for an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality against the Delhi Police. While the Delhi Police has squarely denied any wrongdoing on the part of any of its officers, petitioners and intervening applicants represented by Khurshid, senior advocate Indira Jaising and senior advocate Colin Gonsalves made their submissions on Tuesday, with the court deciding to continue hearing the case on Wednesday.

Khurshid submitted that alleged acts of vandalism around the university cannot be cause for the police to enter the campus without permission. The senior advocate generously quoted from international guidelines to deal with student protests within campuses to hold that it is not justified for police to enter the university without permission. When the court asked for the documents to be placed on record, Khurshid said he would do so in two days.

Meanwhile, Gonsalves submitted that the Delhi Police had brutalised students with an intention to threaten them into submissiveness. He alleged that the police wanted to send a message to students to not protest against the government and presented testimonies of students as recorded by the NHRC.

Besides, senior advocate Indira Jaising argued that police cannot be allowed to enjoy immunity from acts of misconduct.

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