Centre and Delhi police get more time to file affidavit in Jamia violence case

The Delhi High Court on December 19, 2019 had issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government and Delhi Police on the violence in the Jamia area of Delhi and asked them to file affidavits on February 4, 2020.

Source: ANI

The Centre, Delhi Police and others have been given more time by the Delhi High Court to file counter-affidavits in the Jamia Millia Islamia University violence case on December 15, 2019. Ordering the Centre and Delhi Police to do the needful, the Delhi High Court division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and C Hari Shankar on Tuesday gave the next date of hearing as April 29, 2020.

The Delhi High Court on December 19, 2019 had issued notices to the Centre, Delhi government and Delhi Police on the violence in the Jamia area of Delhi. The High Court had asked them to file affidavits on February 4, 2020. However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued during the hearing on Tuesday that investigation into the violence is at a crucial stage and pleaded for some more time to file the report.

Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves argued that 93 students have given recognizable complaints with pictures caught in CCTV cameras. "We ask for relief and seek that all these complaints be registered as FIRs. Not a single FIR has been registered," argued Gonsalves.

However, Mehta argued that a consolidated picture could be looked at instead of lodging multiple FIRs in the matter.

Another senior advocate Indira Jaisingh insisted that as there was no reply from the respondents, it is a non-compliance of the December 19 order, so a counter-affidavit should be filed.

Delhi High Court is hearing a bunch of petitions seeking a judicial enquiry into the alleged "excessive, arbitrary and illegal" police action against students of Jamia Millia Islamia University on December 15, 2019, following clashes between the Delhi Police and Jamia students during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment law. They have argued for the appointment of a fact-finding committee which should include former judges of the Supreme Court and High Court to "conduct an appropriate inquiry in the matter".