The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Delhi Government to furnish details of the number of cases registered every month relating to offences committed against women in the Capital .
A three-judge Bench of Justices G. S. Singhvi, Shiva Kirti Singh and C. Nagappan also directed the State government to provide the video footage of a protest held by Aam Admi Party in which the police had allegedly manhandled the protestors, including women at a police station in northeast Delhi in June this year. The Bench directed the government to give the details along with the video footage today (Wednesday) when it will watch the video recording of the protest in which the girls were allegedly manhandled.
The Bench was hearing a petition filed by Beenu Rawat and 18 others seeking a direction for setting up of a special investigation team to go into the excesses committed by the police during the protest. Senior counsel Shanti Bhushan appearing for the petitioners alleged that policemen beat up Aam Aadmi Party members protesting against non-registration of an FIR in a rape case. The counsel said that a minor girl and her two brothers were among the 19 people who were specially targeted by the police at Gokulpuri Police station.
Appearing for the Delhi government Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra denied that any excess was committed by the police. He said the protestors surrounded the compound of the police station and also entered the corridor, blocking the entry and exit of officials thereby obstructing them from performing their official duty.
The ASG said in the garb of helping a rape victim some of the protesters started pelting stones at the building windows and vehicles and damaged public property.
Police force was used only to expel the rowdy and violent protestors from the police station and there was no use of excessive force, he said. The arrest of the accused persons was not in violation of the principles of law, he said. The hearing will continue today (Wednesday).
