Delhi HC seeks Police affidavit on detention of activists, orders preservation of CCTV footage

The Delhi High Court on Sunday directed the Delhi Police to file an affidavit explaining the circumstances and legal authority under which several activists were detained last week . The court also ordered the preservation of relevant CCTV footage that could show how the activists were taken away by the police.

The direction came during a special Sunday hearing before a bench comprising Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja. The bench said the police must clarify the basis of the detentions and explain the provisions of law under which the activists were picked up. The matter has been listed for further hearing on March 27.

During the hearing, counsel for the police said that all the persons who were detained had been released and added that the issue was “not so simple” . The police also told the court that the FIR registered in the matter was confidential in nature.

The court, however, noted that allegations of illegal detention had been raised in the petitions and asked the police to submit an affidavit within a week explaining the circumstances surrounding the detentions.

The bench also agreed to hear on Monday a separate petition concerning one of the activists, after his lawyer claimed that he had still not been released. “You will have to trace him,” the court told the police while responding to the submission.

Lawyers representing the petitioners alleged that around 10 activists, including students, w ere picked up by the police from outside Dayal Singh College and the Vijay Nagar area in north Delhi. They claimed that the activists were detained without following due legal procedures, not produced before a magistrate, and were subjected to abuse and torture while in custody.

Advocate Shahrukh Alam alleged that Lakshita Rajora, sister of petitioner Sagrika Rajora , was taken away by police personnel in plain clothes. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves , appearing for petitioner Ehsanul Haq , described the situation as “alarming” and urged the court to direct the police to provide a copy of the FIR.

In her petition, Sagrika Rajora sought the immediate production of her 22-year-old sister Lakshita Rajora, who had been missing since the evening of March 13. According to the plea, she was last seen at the office of the student organisation Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch in Vijay Nagar near the University of Delhi North Campus. The petition also alleged that Lakshita and her associates had earlier faced illegal detention and custodial torture by officials of the Delhi Police Special Cell about eight months ago.