The Delhi High Court questioned how the police could claim that students were protesting merely for publicity while hearing petitions alleging excessive force during a peaceful demonstration.
The petitions, filed by protesting students, alleged that Delhi Police resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas against peaceful demonstrators and sought the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident
During the hearing, the High Court took exception to the police’s remarks suggesting the protest was staged for publicity. The court directed authorities to preserve all CCTV footage, police body-camera recordings, and other digital evidence related to the protest.
The High Court also directed Delhi Police to file its response within four weeks regarding allegations of excessive and inhumane treatment of the protesters.