New Delhi, The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the city police to decide within a week a plea by Kshatriya Karni Sena president Raj Shekhawat seeking permission to hold a protest against the recently notified UGC equity regulations at Jantar Mantar here.
However, the police clarified in the court that he was not under any detention, prompting the high court to hold that Shekhawat was free to move around. The high court was informed that while the protest was earlier scheduled for September 6, the petitioner has now changed the date to September 20 in view of the upcoming BRICS Summit in the national capital. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed petitioner Shekhawat to file a fresh application with the Delhi Police seeking permission to hold the peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar on September 20 from 10 am to 5 pm. Initially, the petitioner had challenged denial of permission by Delhi Police to hold the protest at September 6. However, after being suggested by the court to change the date as the police were not allowing the protest on that day in view of the BRICS Summit on September 12-13 at Bharat Mandapam, the petitioner shifted it to September 20. The high court on Monday directed that the fresh application be placed before the competent authority which will decide it within a week by September 14. When the counsel for the police urged the court to grant time till September 16-17, the bench made it clear that the application has to be decided by September 14.
Earlier, Shekhawat had approached the high court claiming to be under house arrest.
