The Delhi High Court on Thursday agreed to hear on Friday a public interest litigation seeking a probe by the National Investigation Agency into the Cockroach Janta Party protests and the related march to Parliament on July 20, and alleged foreign funding of the group.
The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a Bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia today. Advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that the so-called student agitation had made the entire capital hostage, with roads blocked and citizens suffering. The Court accordingly directed that the plea be taken up tomorrow.
The petition has been filed by Satish Kumar Aggarwal, a former Vice-President of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. It alleges that the agitation, which began over the NEET paper leak and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, was not a genuine student movement. Instead, the plea claims it formed part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by anti-national and foreign elements with the intention of destabilising the country through financial influence and external funding.
According to the petitioner, the July 20 demonstration witnessed obstruction of public movement, damage to public and private property, attacks on journalists, injuries to police personnel and attempts to proceed towards Parliament. The plea further contends that various political leaders took over and influenced the protest, allegedly instigating participants towards violence and efforts to breach Parliament security. It names leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Atishi Marlena, Dimple Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and Chandra Shekhar Azad in this context.
The petition also refers to the participation of activist Sonam Wangchuk and relies on reports of his alleged associations with foreign organisations, asserting that these aspects warrant investigation. It additionally mentions the presence of writer Arundhati Roy, contending that her association raises concerns about the motives behind the gathering.
“That it is pertinent to mention that, the so-called protest is not, in substance, a genuine protest by students or for student-related concerns. Rather, it appears to be a part of a larger conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by anti-national and foreign elements with the purported intention of destabilizing the country by exploiting financial influence and monetary resources,” the plea states.
Aggarwal has sought directions for the NIA or another specialised agency to investigate the protests, take over all FIRs registered by Delhi Police in connection with the incidents of violence, and identify and prosecute those responsible for violence, vandalism, obstruction of emergency services and related offences. The plea maintains that the episode should not be treated as a routine public agitation but requires a comprehensive probe by a national security agency to examine any larger conspiracy.
