The Delhi High Court on Wednesday referred to the ongoing student-led protests in France that escalated into arson and looting while hearing a matter involving the arrest of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka.
The court stressed that police permission for demonstrations was meant not merely to restrict protesters but also to prevent other people from joining and disrupting them.
The remarks came as the High Court agreed to urgently hear a plea by the CJP leaders challenging the order extending their judicial custody, which ends today.
Ranka and Das were arrested on October 13 for trespassing into Jantar Mantar and unfurling the Tricolour. They crossed the police barricades and entered the site, raising slogans demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
During the hearing, the High Court questioned the decision to hold enter Jantar Mantar after it had been denotified as a protest site and said, "Barricades are there for a purpose. When you go and break a barricade, the chances of more people coming there is — persons who might not be under your control."
Referring to the student-led protests in France, the High Court said, “We are seeing this outside our country as well. What started as a student protest has become arson, looting... That’s why you need police permission. It is not just to stop you, but also to prevent others from joining you and spoiling your name.”
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