Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said he was tired of approaching the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls, expressing doubts about whether seeking relief from the court was worthwhile, as he questioned the detention of protesters seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Addressing a press conference, Sibal questioned the legality of detaining people to prevent them from participating in the protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. He also alleged that several protesters had been taken to undisclosed locations.
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“We are tired of going to the Supreme Court. I feel that I have in my mind that there is no point in me going there,” he said, clarifying that he was expressing his personal view.
Asked whether he was unhappy with the Chief Justice of India, Sibal said the issue was not about personal satisfaction.
“We are lawyers. We are not talking about happiness or unhappiness. We have to fight for the people,” he said.
‘WHO IS IN DANGER IF PEOPLE PROTEST PEACEFULLY?’
Sibal questioned the imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), arguing that the provision was intended to prevent threats to public order and not to stop peaceful demonstrations.
“If a person or a community wants to protest peacefully, then who is in danger? The society is not in danger. It seems that the government is in danger,” he said.
He also questioned why people travelling to Delhi by train and air were being detained before reaching the protest venue, citing several people he said had been held in Karnataka and West Bengal.
“If a youth gets on a train, will you arrest him? On what basis will you arrest him? What kind of law is this,” Sibal asked.
He further questioned the police practice of taking detainees to undisclosed locations without informing their families about their whereabouts.
“You formally arrest someone. Tell us where you are taking him,” he said.
SIBAL QUESTIONS SECURITY DEPLOYMENT, ALLEGES MANHANDLING
Sibal questioned the deployment of a large security force to manage the demonstration, asking why 28 battalions, along with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Delhi Police personnel, were needed for a peaceful protest.
“And you need 28 battalions for this? You need CAPF and Delhi Police for this? Thousands and thousands,” he said.
He alleged that protesters were being manhandled at detention sites and argued that restrictions and barricading could not prevent people from reaching the capital to demonstrate.
“How long will this go on? The entire city cannot be barricaded,” he said, adding that people continued to arrive in Delhi despite the restrictions and were being taken away in buses.
SIBAL RECOUNTS INCIDENT INVOLVING CJP LEGAL TEAM HEAD
Sibal also spoke about an incident involving CJP legal team head Ratna Singh, who was travelling with lawyers Tara Narula and Shubhangini Sharma from Jangpura towards the Supreme Court when two vehicles allegedly blocked their car.
According to Sibal, one of the people who approached the vehicle claimed to be from the Intelligence Bureau. The occupants were asked to step out but remained inside, following which Narula contacted him for advice.
Sibal said an application seeking the registration of an FIR against those who intercepted the vehicle was moved before a magistrate at around 11 am. The court raised the issue of territorial jurisdiction, which was contested, and reserved its order at around 11.15 am, he said.
The order had not been pronounced by the time of the press conference, Sibal added.
SIBAL FLAGS TRANSPORT, INTERNET DISRUPTIONS
Sibal also criticised disruptions to transport and communication, alleging that train services had been affected and people were unable to contact others because of internet restrictions.
The protests concern alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the demand for Kumar’s resignation. Sibal alleged that concerns over voter-list irregularities had repeatedly been raised before the Supreme Court without relief.
Rejecting the suggestion that separate demonstrations by different groups reflected a fragmented movement, he said people did not need to belong to the same political party to participate in protests.
“Protests are protests… How many people will you take in buses? For how long will you take them? For how many months?” he asked.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
