The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday the petition over the police action on students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University and Aligarh Muslim University.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde on Monday also took serious note of the rioting and destruction of public property during protests against the Act and said the court will hear the plea if the rioting stops. The court said it cannot be held at ransom and the court will hear the petition in a ‘cool frame of mind.’
“We first want the rioting to stop. We have enough experience of knowing how rioting takes place, we know what the rights are. Just because people are throwing stones outside, it is not the reason for the Court to decide,” the Chief Justice of India said.
The CJI added that though it is a law and order problem and the court ‘cannot do much,’ they will hear the matter on Tuesday.
“Buses are being burnt... Doesn't matter by whom. We will decide in a cool frame of mind. We will hear the matter and see what can be done. Prima facie I don't think Court can do much, it's a law and order problem. The only thing we want is that the violence must stop," the bench said, adding, "if protests and violence and damage of public property will be there, we will not hear the matter".
A group of lawyers led by senior advocate Indira Jaising and Collin Gonsalves mentioned the matter before the court urging it to take suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the alleged violence unleashed against students who are holding protest against the Act.
Meanwhile, another plea was moved in the Delhi High Court on Monday against the police action on students at the Jamia Millia Islamia University. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar declined to list the plea for urgent hearing, saying there was "no urgency in the matter".
The plea sought judicial inquiry into the action taken by the police, including allegedly firing at the students. It also seeks proper medical treatment and compensation for the injured students.
On Sunday, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act grew violent after four public buses and two police vehicles were torched. Protesters clashed with police in New Friends' Colony near Jamia university during a demonstration against the amended Citizenship Act, leaving six cops and two firemen injured, police officials said. Students of Jamia have said they had nothing to do with the violence and arson and alleged that "certain elements" had joined in and "disrupted" the demonstration.
Later, Jamia Millia Islamia Proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan claimed that Delhi Police entered the campus forcibly without any permission and beat up staff members and students who were then forced to leave the campus. Condemning the police action, university Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar said students who were inside the library have been taken out and are safe.
(With agency inputs)