Supreme Court to hear pleas alleging police brutality today
Cops were beating students in Jamia University library, senior lawyer Colin Gonsalves tells top court.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday petitions seeking probe into the alleged police atrocities on the students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University protesting against Citizenship Amendment Act , however, making it clear that the violent protests and the destruction of public property must stop.
“We will not hear the ,atter if the protest, violence, destruction of public property doesn’t stop,” said Chief Justice S.A. Bobde heading the bench before which a number of senior lawyers including Indira Jaising, Colin Gonsalves, Salman Kuursheed, Shobha Gupta and other had appeared.
Besides CJI Bobde, other judges on the bench include Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Surya Kant.
Jaising told the court that it was police which was indulging in the violence and destruction of public property and putting it on the “heads of the students.”
As CJI Bobde said, “We want rioting to stop”, Indira Jaising said, “No one can stop peaceful demonstration. Rioting is being engineered and busses are burnt by police and putting blame on the students.”
“It does not matter who is doing it”, all this including destruction of public property must stop. We will decided in “cool atmosphere. We are not going to be bullied”, said CJI Bobde.
Pointing out that students who suffered injuries in police action are in hospital, Indira Jaising said, “We need investigation and someone to account for violence. This is a grave violation of fundamental rights.”
Drawing attention of the court towards the people, “brutalities unleashed” on the Jamia students on Sunday, Colin Gonsalves and India Jaising said that the students injured in police action be provided with medical aid.
The court was informed the students with broken limbs are not being attended by the doctors or given medical aid.
Gonsalves who said that he had personally visited the spot said that police beat the students in the library of the Jamia University and they had to hide in the toilets.
Indira Jaising said that similarly the students of Aligarh Muslim University too were being harshly treated by the police and they have no one to espouse their plight before any court.
She said a committee of retired judges of the top court should visit Jamia and AMU for an on the spot assessment of the situation.
Sending a committee of retired judges is one of the ways for ensuring peace, Jaising told the court.
“Just you are a student, you don’t have a right to disturb peace”, CJI Bobde said as senior counsel.
As lawyer Shobha Gupta said that they have videos to show the police excesses, CJI Bobde said that court does not want videos but petition.
The lawyers had mentioned the matter urging the court to take suo motu cognizance of the police atrocities committed on students protesting against the discriminatory Citizenship Act.