Delhi High Court Dismisses PIL Over Police Protest Conduct

The Delhi High Court dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a fact-finding inquiry into conflicting accounts of police conduct during a July 20 protest. The petitioner, Nitin Naresh, alleged a discrepancy between Delhi Police social media statements denying a lathi-charge and media reports showing security personnel using tear gas and lathis against protesters marching toward Parliament.

A bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya ruled that PIL jurisdiction is not intended to adjudicate disputes based on media reports and official statements. The court stated that such contradictions do not inherently constitute a matter of public interest.

The July protest was organized by the Cockroach Janta Party following a three-week hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. Demonstrators demanded reforms in the examination system and the resignation of an official named Pradhan over alleged paper leaks. While the High Court rejected this specific petition, the Supreme Court of India has already constituted a five-member high-powered enquiry committee, led by former judge R Subhash Reddy, to independently examine allegations of targeted violence and the use of pellet guns during the event.