Hearing petitions requesting the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the violence at the Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday, the Delhi High Court bench comprising of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar, today refused to provide any interim protection to student rioters from any coercive action, including arrest by Delhi Police.
The court also issued a notice to the Centre, the Delhi government and the police, asking them to file a response on a plea over Jamia Milia University incident. The court posts the matter for further hearing on February 4.
As the Delhi HC turned down the petition for protection to Jamia rioters and refuse to set the next hearing at an earlier date, the situation in the courtroom took an unprecedented turn and the lawyers representing the petitioners started hooting the judges by shouting ‘shame shame’.
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Dissatisfied by the High Court judgement, the lawyers’ lobby reportedly started shouting ‘shame on you’ at the judges.
The court’s decision came while hearing six petitions seeking medical treatment and compensation for injured students in the protests against CAA over the past few days.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed that all petitions on the issue be taken to the concerned High Courts, which may then take a call whether an independent enquiry committee may be set up to probe the issue.
Delhi witnessed violent scenes on Sunday when several buses, motor-bikes and private vehicles were set ablaze during anti-CAA riots near south Delhi’s Jamia Nagar area. The Delhi police in a bid to control the frenzied mob, later entered the Jamia campus and fired tear gas shells, baton-charged and detained several rioters.
The rioters had torched four public buses and two police vehicles in the clash, leaving six cops and two firemen injured. A students’ body later said they had nothing to do with the violence and arson and alleged that “certain elements” had joined in and “disrupted” the demonstration.
Delhi Police also rubbished the rumours that bullets were fired by the police personnel on the protestors when the agitation turned ugly. It also claimed that the 10 people arrested by the police for the acts of arson and vandalism during the protests did not belong to the Jamia Millia Islamia University and were outsiders.