New Delhi: Delhi High Court Thursday agreed to hear a public interest litigation seeking a probe into the July 20 Sansad Chalo march over the NEET paper leak.The counsel for the petitioner mentioned the PIL before a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia and requested that the case be listed Friday. “This is against the so-called student agitation. They have made the entire Delhi hostage. Roads have been blocked. Citizens of Delhi are suffering,” the lawyer submitted. “Alright. Tomorrow,” Chief Justice Upadhyaya said.The PIL sought registration of an FIR and an impartial investigation into the related incidents. It also urged an investigation by an appropriate specialised agency, including National Investigation Agency, if the authority considers that the material disclosed warrants a probe under the applicable law.Petitioner Satish Kumar Aggarwal, former vice-president of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, claimed that the participation of activists and politicians as well as the alleged involvement of foreign-funded organisations had raised serious questions about the “true nature, purpose and objectives of the protest”.The PIL asserted that these concerns called for a “comprehensive investigation” to ascertain if any “external elements were involved in activities prejudicial to public order, national security, and the sovereignty and integrity of India”. It argued, “Members of various political parties participated in and influenced the protest, thereby converting what was projected as a student demonstration into a political agitation”.The protest witnessed obstruction of public movement, including of an ambulance, damage to public and private properties, attacks on journalists, attempts to breach security arrangements near Parliament, and injuries to police and other public officials, he alleged.The court asked central govt and Delhi Police Wednesday to respond to PILs alleging excessive use of force against protesters during the July 20 march to Parliament. It also directed the authorities to preserve all relevant records related to the police action, including CCTV camera footage and any videography.
