A court on Thursday pulled up the Delhi Police Crime Branch for a badly drafted action-taken report (ATR) on a complaint seeking directions to the investigating agency to lodge a sedition case against certain students for allegedly raising anti-India slogans at Ramjas College on February 21.
Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra directed the investigating officer to file a fresh ATR on the merit of the allegations, including sedition, on April 28.
Rioting on campus
Complainant Vivek Garg also opposed the ATR submitting that it was regarding the rioting incident on February 22 whereas his complaint concerned the raising of anti-national slogans on February 21.
Mr. Garg has alleged that the students had raised the slogans following withdrawal of permission to organise a seminar on “Unveiling the State: Regions in Conflict” by the college principal.
Mr. Garg has attached video clippings and copies of newspapers with his complaint on anti-India slogans raised by students allegedly belonging to the All India Students’ Association, Students’ Federation of India and others.
'No reference to sedition
“Regarding the February 21 incident, the ATR is absolutely silent in respect of the allegations made in the complaint. It’s clear that FIR lodged on February 22 clashes does not pertain to allegations of sedition,’’ court said.
“You either give an ATR on merit of the allegations or give it in writing if you would probe the sedition allegation in the FIR already lodged,” the judge asked the probe officer.
Monitoring of probe
Mr. Garg has urged the court to pass a direction to lodge an FIR on charges including sedition, waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting the waging of war, against the government, criminal conspiracy and other charges under the Indian Penal Code.
He has also urged the court to monitor the probe.
