Delhi High Court to Hear PIL Seeking NIA Probe; Crucial Hearing on July 20 Protests

Delhi: The Delhi High Court has agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an NIA probe into the protest and march towards Parliament organised by the 'Cockroach Janta Party' on July 20. A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia granted the request for an urgent hearing and stated that the matter would be heard on July 24. However, the court has not yet expressed any opinion regarding the honesty or maintainability of the allegations raised in the petition.

On Thursday, a request was made to list the matter for an urgent hearing before a Delhi High Court bench. Appearing for the petitioner, lawyer Varun Kumar Sinha informed the court that traffic on various Delhi roads had been disrupted due to the protests, causing difficulties for the general public. After hearing the plea, the court agreed to list the matter for a hearing on Friday, July 24.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed by Satish Kumar Agarwal, a former Vice-President of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. The petition claims:

• The incident involving the July 20 protests should be investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or another specialised investigative agency.
• All FIRs registered by the Delhi Police in connection with this incident should be handed over to a central investigative agency.
• Legal action should be taken against those identified as responsible for the violence against essential services.

The PIL claims that the movement in question was not a genuine student movement and that a larger conspiracy might lie behind it. The petition further alleges that the movement was politically influenced and suggests that the possibility of foreign funding should also be investigated.

However, it is important to note that these are only the petitioner's claims; the veracity of these allegations has not yet been confirmed by the court or any investigative agency.

The petition states that public movement was obstructed during the protests on July 20. Allegations were raised regarding damage to public and private property, and reports emerged of journalists being attacked. Some police personnel were injured, and attempts were made to march towards the Parliament. A thorough investigation into these incidents is a key aspect of the PIL.

The Delhi High Court will hear the petitioner's arguments during the next hearing and, if necessary, consider the submissions of the engaged parties as well. The court will decide on the next course of action in the case only after the hearing. Currently, no order has been issued for an NIA investigation; the case is still at the preliminary hearing stage.