‘Don’t drag court into this’: Delhi HC on plea alleging excessive force by police during CJP protest

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday declined to urgently hear a petition alleging excessive use of force by security personnel during the Cockroach Janta Party’s march to Parliament a day earlier, Live Law reported.

“Don’t drag court into all this,” the bench verbally observed.

The petition was filed after security personnel fire tear gas shells and carried out a lathi-charge to disperse protesters during the march on Monday, which coincided with the start of the Monsoon Session. While police had stopped the protest leaders from proceeding, some demonstrators moved closer to Parliament and gathered at other locations in central Delhi.

The Cockroach Janta Party also claimed that the police had fired pellet guns at the protesters. The Union government classifies pellet guns as a “non-lethal” weapon for crowd control. Its cartridge contains pellets made of rubber or plastic, which can damage sensitive parts like eyes when fired from a short range.

The Delhi Police denied using pellet guns against the protesters. It also claimed that the protesters “resorted to large-scale violence” and vandalised public property.

On Tuesday, the Cockroach Janta Party also alleged that the police had on Monday slapped a boy, who the campaign claimed was a 10-year-old.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia will now hear the matter on Wednesday, Live Law reported.

The protesters are demanding the resignation of...

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