New Delhi, Oct 19: All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora on Monday approached the Delhi High Court challenging a Delhi Police notice directing her to execute a bond before a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) to “keep the peace”.
Bora, who has been at the forefront of recent protests against alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, is likely to seek an urgent hearing. The High Court is closed this week for the Dussehra vacation.
Her petition seeks to quash the notice and direct the police not to take any coercive action against her.
In her petition, settled by lawyer Abhik Chimni, Bora contended that the police notice was vague, factually incorrect and unsupported by any material substantiating the alleged likelihood of a breach of peace.
“The Impugned Notice rests on a prima facie incorrect fact, namely that the Petitioner instigated people to participate in the demonstration at Central Park, Connaught Place on 16.10.2026. The Petitioner’s call and the incident alleged were different. The Petitioner called for a peaceful gathering at Mandi House at 5:00 pm on 16.10.2026, and it is a matter of record that she was detained from Mandi House,” the petition stated.
The plea further argued that the notice did not specify any “period, occasion or event in relation to which breach is apprehended”.
It described the proceedings as a “colourable exercise of preventive powers to suppress peaceful dissent”, allegedly violating Articles 19(1)(a), 19(1)(b) and 21 of the Constitution.
According to the petition, the proceedings before the SEM relate to alleged sloganeering at Mandi House on October 16, repeated protests near Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS, and allegations that Bora instigated people to participate in a protest at Connaught Place on the same day.
Issued on October 17 under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the notice directed Bora to appear before the SEM on October 19 and show cause why she should not execute a personal bond of Rs 10,000, with one surety, to “keep the peace for a period of enquiry”.
Bora was taken into preventive detention on October 16 while on her way to participate in the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) "Lehra Do Tiranga" march. She was released on October 17.
Section 126 of the BNSS empowers an Executive Magistrate to require a person to execute a bond for keeping the peace when there is information that the person is likely to breach the peace, disturb public tranquillity or commit a wrongful act that may cause such a disturbance.
PTI