New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Greater Noida administration for sending a rs 5 lakh peace bond notice to a university student over his alleged involvement in the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests.
The notice was issued to Akshat Tripathi, a second year law student at Gautam Buddha University. What raised eyebrows was that the notice came days after the Supreme Court had passed orders offering protection to students involved in the protests.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who was hearing the matter, questioned how an Executive Magistrate could issue such a notice despite the court’s earlier directions. The court is now expected to seek an explanation from the officials responsible.
Tripathi received the notice on September 4. He was asked to furnish a personal bond of rs 5 lakh and two sureties of the same amount. He was also asked to explain why he should not be directed to maintain peace for six months.
The police alleged that Tripathi had encouraged students to join a CJP protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and had circulated what authorities described as “anti government” and misleading information. The allegations were made in the notice issued by the Executive Magistrate.
Tripathi, however, denied any wrongdoing and said he had taken part in the protest peacefully. He also claimed that he was injured during police action when protesters tried to march towards Parliament on July 20.
The notice did not remain in force for long. It was withdrawn after the matter was brought to the attention of senior officials.
The controversy comes just days after the Supreme Court’s September 1 order in cases linked to the CJP protests. The court had ordered relief for students facing protest related cases and directed that coercive action should not be taken against students in connection with the protests, subject to the conditions laid down by the court.
That is what made the fresh notice particularly significant. The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned why an administrative authority had proceeded against a student despite the court’s earlier directions.
The episode has now put the spotlight on how police and administrative authorities deal with student protests and on whether officials can take action that appears to go against a clear direction from the country’s highest court.
For Tripathi, a notice that was withdrawn within a day has now become part of a much larger legal question before the Supreme Court.
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