NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday junked a PIL seeking an NIA probe into alleged foreign support behind the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests and its march to Parliament on July 20.
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said that an order for an NIA probe was for the central government to decide and not the court, adding,
“We can’t substitute our satisfaction for the satisfaction of the central government.” The bench also said that the alleged incidents of vandalism were in the knowledge and notice of the authorities, “who would take action according to the law.”
The bench questioned the maintainability of the petition, observing that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is an investigating agency and not an inquiry agency. “The question of investigation only comes after there is an FIR...
If any scheduled offence is to be investigated by the NIA, then a recommendation is made to the centre, and the centre takes a call. How can you ask us to get an inquiry conducted and then get it investigated by the NIA?” the bench asked the petitioner.
Another petition was filed before the HC seeking directions to the police to initiate criminal action against the CJP protesters for allegedly indulging in arson, physical attacks on authorities and damaging public property at Jantar Mantar was also junked.
The HC bench refused to entertain the plea and said that the petitioner NGO, Save India Foundation, was at liberty to approach the authorities who may take appropriate action under law.
The NGO had alleged that the protesters were following the pattern of civil unrest in spired from neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal by inciting the public via social media messages to uproot the current administration.