Delhi court delays chargesheet hearing in AI Summit protest case over missing legal sanction

A Delhi court on Monday deferred taking cognisance of the chargesheet filed against Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers for staging a protest at the AI Impact Summit in February, citing the absence of a mandatory sanction required under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The Delhi Police had filed the chargesheet on April 27 after completing its investigation into the protest, which took place on February 20 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. However, the sanction under Section 217 of the BNSS had not been obtained before the chargesheet was submitted.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta of Patiala House Court heard submissions from the prosecution, who sought cognisance of the main chargesheet while stating that the sanction order would be provided through a supplementary chargesheet. The court then deferred the matter, noting the legal requirement.

When asked about the timeline for obtaining the sanction, the prosecutor informed the court that the process would take at least two months. The court directed the investigating officer to expedite the process and listed the matter for September 28.

The case involves several IYC members, including its President Uday Bhanu Chib, along with Krishna Hari, Kundan Yadav, Narsimha Yadav, Ajay Singh, Saurabh, Arbaz Khan, Ajay Kumar Vimal, Raja Gujar, Jitendra Yadav, and others. They are accused of staging a 'shirts-off' protest in an exhibition hall during the AI Impact Summit over the India-U.S. trade deal.

The court's decision underscores the procedural requirement of obtaining prior sanction before a chargesheet can be taken cognisance of, ensuring compliance with legal provisions.