Don't need permission to hoist national flag: Neha Bora to Delhi High Court

All India Students' Association (AISA) President Neha Bora on Thursday (October 22, 2026) challenged in the Delhi High Court a police notice asking for an execution of a "peace" bond before a Special Executive Magistrate, saying citizens don't need permission to hoist the national flag.

The submission was made while referring to the Delhi Police notice which said that Ms. Bora hoisted the national flag without seeking permission.

"Question is does this (notice) have substance? We don't need permission to hoist the national flag. They need a class on law," senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing Neha Bora, contended before Justice Subramonium Prasad.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing Delhi Police, raised objection on the maintainability of the petition.

Ms. Bora, who has been at the forefront of protests against the alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has sought quashing of the notice and directions to the police not to take any coercive action against her.

The notice, issued on October 17 under Section 126 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), asked the student leader to appear before the SEM (special executive magistrate) on October 19 and show cause why she should not execute a personal bond of Rs 10,000 with one surety "for keeping peace for a period of enquiry".

Section 126 empowers the SEM to enforce such bond signing if there is credible information that a person is likely to breach peace, disturb public tranquillity, or commit a wrongful act that may cause disturbance.

The AISA President was taken into preventive detention on October 16 when she was on her way to join the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) 'Lehra Do Tiranga' (wave the tricolour) march. She was released on October 17.