New Delhi: Delhi High Court Monday questioned police on allegations that its personnel had forcibly entered a civil rights activist’s home and office to prevent him from heading to Jantar Mantar to hold a protest on Sept 29.
He said he was confined at the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind headquarters in Abul Fazal Enclave by police attached to Shaheen Bagh police station on Sept 29 from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm to prevent him from participating in the protest at Jantar Mantar. The petitioner’s counsel said that on Sept 29, two police personnel visited Khan’s home-cum-office and restrained his movements throughout the day. Khan’s counsel said the police personnel remained on the premises from 9.30am to 5.30pm and they gave no written order or notice to him. The police’s lawyer told the court that although permission for the Sept 29 protest at Jantar Mantar was denied to Khan, police had got information that he might still proceed to the site.
The counsel alleged that he has also been under constant surveillance and urged the court to declare such conduct as “harassment and arbitrary behaviour”. The police counsel, however, said the petitioner was not detained in any manner. He even travelled to Kolkata last week, the police counsel said.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued a notice to police on activist Mohammad Wasiq Nadeem Khan’s petition and asked the law enforcer to file a status report. Khan, who is the national secretary of the Association of Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) and the founder of the United Against Hate initiative, moved the high court last week. The court questioned the police counsel on the conduct of the personnel, while acknowledging that the cops have the right to deny permission to protest to anyone. “How can you enter the house of this man? You have your right to conduct your duty (but) how can you do it in such a way? Where is your cause to confine him?” the bench asked. He sought time from the court to bring the force’s stand on record.