NEW DELHI: All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora told Delhi High Court Thursday that she was not involved in the Cockroach Janta Party’s Oct 16 protest call at Central Park in Connaught Place and had organised a separate gathering at Mandi House.Her counsel also said that there was nothing wrong with seeking regime change in a democracy, when the police’s counsel pointed to Bora’s presence in a news conference where “regime change” was mentioned.Bora has contested a police notice asking her to execute a “peace” bond before a special executive magistrate. Her submission was before Justice Subramonium Prasad who, after hearing her counsel and police for nearly three hours, reserved the order. The verdict will be pronounced Friday. Bora has to appear before a special executive magistrate Saturday.She has sought a direction from the court to police to not take any coercive action against her.Her plea has pointed out factual incorrectness in the notice, which has associated her with a CJP protest, when she was present at a protest at Mandi House.Additional solicitor-general Chetan Sharma, who represented Delhi Police, drew the court’s attention to the press conference attended by Bora and others. He highlighted that in the joint sitting it was announced that “yeh regime change ki ladai hai and hum regime change karake rahenge (this is a fight for regime change and we will get the regime changed)”.To this, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who was representing Bora, said the statement cannot be attributed to her. He then said that “there is nothing wrong with regime change in a democracy.”The law officer objected to this. “You were part of that news conference. I will take exception to this. A regime change will happen by votes, not by lumpen elements congregating in… Delhi,” he said.Bora’s lawyer argued that there was no application of mind or independent opinion by the special executive magistrate while issuing the notice. It was a mere cut-and-paste job that was done mechanically, he said. “According to the notice what I have done — shouting loudly at the protest at the roundabout of Mandi House. You were involved in protest-related activities in and around Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders. You instigated people to participate in unauthorised demonstration at Central Park, Connaught Place… and also hoist the national flag without obtaining valid permission,” the counsel said. “Maybe they need some instruction on law that we don’t need permission to hoist the national flag,” he said.According to the notice, there was apprehension of breach of public peace and tranquillity within the jurisdiction of the SEM’s court.Challenging the notice, Bora said it does not meet the essential requirements as mandated by the law.The court asked the police if it can hold off on enforcing the notice till the high court takes a call, but the ASG said if the petitioner is ready to give an undertaking to the court that she will not breach peace, he was ready to give an undertaking.The ASG said there were 12 violations by Bora. “It is not a simple case of an innocent woman,” he said.
