Supreme Court Rebukes Lawyer for Seeking Suo Motu Action on Jantar Mantar Lathicharge
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to take suo motu cognisance of the police lathicharge on protesters at Jantar Mantar, telling an advocate not to waste judicial time on matters not before the court.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana rejected the advocate's suggestion to initiate proceedings on its own. When the lawyer offered to present video footage of the violence, the bench stated, "We do not want to watch videos during judicial work."
Separately, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), led by senior advocate Vikas Singh, passed a resolution condemning the "brutal lathicharge on innocent students." The resolution, backed by 600 SCBA members, called the use of force "deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable in a democratic society." It demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident without mentioning the stone pelting and damage to public property by some protesters.
The SCBA resolution sought identification of those responsible for excessive force and appropriate legal action, as well as measures to prevent recurrence.
