NEW DELHI, Oct 11: The Supreme Court on Sunday directed authorities to ensure that people gathering peacefully were not illegally detained and that Delhi Metro services operated on their normal schedule. It also called for uninterrupted internet services, subject to law and order requirements.
A bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notice to the Centre on a contempt petition alleging violations of the court’s October 9 order concerning restrictions on metro and train services in Delhi ahead of a protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student organisations.
The court held a special sitting to hear urgent applications alleging that its earlier directions had been violated and that large numbers of people were illegally detained during the October 10 demonstrations.
The applications claimed that metro services had been disrupted, New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations had remained closed, traffic advisories had not been issued, and people had faced harassment and detention beyond areas covered by prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
The bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to ensure that metro services operated according to their normal schedule and that lawyers, journalists and others were not prevented from performing their professional duties.
During the hearing, Mehta told the court that entry and exit restrictions had been imposed at only 45 of the network’s 303 metro stations on Saturday.
The Supreme Court also took up a habeas corpus petition filed by senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy concerning the detention of political leaders.
Advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi filed the contempt petition, naming Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chairperson D Thara as respondents.
The October 9 order had been passed while the court was hearing a separate petition challenging the closure of 57 metro stations and the cancellation of trains to Delhi ahead of the planned protest.
The demonstration was called by the CJP and several student organisations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.
On Saturday, authorities detained more than 7,000 protesters during a major security operation that prevented the planned mobilisation at Jantar Mantar. Those detained included CJP leader Abhijit Dipke, opposition leaders and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.
