NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear the petitions seeking independent inquiry into the police violence that took place at Jamia Milia Islamia University and AMU last night on Tuesday but the bench makes it clear that they can only help if the rioting stops immediately.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde said, “All these burning of buses and pelting sones must stop. We will take up the matter tomorrow if the violence stops.”
The bench further told senior advocate Indira Jaising and Colin Gonsalves appearing for students of Jamia and AMU that if students believe in going to the street and indulge in violence, then they shouldn't come to court.
“We can't be bullied in this manner to hear this matter,” the bench said.
Jaising told the bench that students had to hide in washrooms as police were burning buses and students are being falsely accused for the same and said, “Nobody is promoting rioting. These are students who were protesting peacefully.”
At this, CJI said, “That is no licence to break law and order. We all know how rioting happens...all this has to stop. What is this?. Public property is being destroyed.”
The court observed that just being students, they can't take the law into their own hands, adding the it would hear the matter on Tuesday if no violent protests take place.
A similar plea was also moved in the Delhi High Court on Monday against the police action on students at the Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday night.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar declined to list the plea for urgent hearing, saying there was "no urgency in the matter".
The plea sought judicial inquiry into the action taken by the police, including allegedly firing at the students.
It also seeks proper medical treatment and compensation for the injured students.
Protestors torched four public buses and two police vehicles as they clashed with police in New Friends' Colony near Jamia University during a demonstration against the amended Citizenship Act, leaving six cops and two firemen injured, officials said.
The trouble started during a protest by students of Jamia Millia Islamia.
But a students' body later said they had nothing to do with the violence and arson and alleged that "certain elements" had joined in and "disrupted" the demonstration.
Soon after the violence, Jamia Chief Proctor Waseem Ahmed Khan claimed that the Delhi Police entered the campus forcibly without any permission and beat up staff members and students who were then forced to leave the campus.
Condemning the police action, university Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar said students who were inside the library have been taken out and are safe.
Two cases have so far been registered in connection with Jamia violence and protests in other areas on Sunday following stir against the amended Citizenship Act, according to Delhi Police.
The university had turned into a battlefield on Sunday as police entered the campus and also used force, following protest against the Act.
"One case has been registered at Jamia Nagar Police Station and another case registered at New Friends Colony Police Station," a senior police official said.
(With PTI Inputs)