New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea seeking a direction to the Centre, the Delhi government and police to ensure an independent and fair probe into the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest at Jantar Mantar in July.
The top court also refused the prayer seeking a declaration that police, like the judiciary, exercise sovereign and independent functions in maintaining law and order and investigating crimes, free from interference unless their actions are contrary to law. The petition made the Centre, the Commissioner of Police, the Delhi government, Shailendra Mani Tripathi, one of the PIL petitioners in the CJP protest case, and CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke as parties. The CJI, responding to submissions, defended the court’s decision to invoke Article 142 of the Constitution to quash certain FIRs.
He said that people approached the court as though it were their private property.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard the matter involving a plea concerning the investigation into FIRs registered in connection with the protests at Jantar Mantar. “We have to see their parents, their future. We don’t want them to come to court… “But when there was Covid, people of this country were not ready to face this kind of crisis… so people reacted in a way they could react.
You have not seen our order in the case of members of legislative assembly/Parliament,” the bench said. The High Court declined to quash , but, we allowed, saying they are not hardened criminals,” he said.
