CJP protest: SC to hear on Sunday plea seeking contempt action against authorities

The Supreme Court will hear on Sunday a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against authorities for allegedly violating the court’s direction on ensuring that there is no “complete prohibition” of metro and train services due to CJP’s protest in Delhi.

According to the cause list of October 11 uploaded on the apex court website, the plea would come up for hearing before a bench of justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

The plea, filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi, has arrayed Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chairperson D Thara as respondents.

“This brutal assault on the fundamental rights of the citizens and sheer disregard to the orders of this court amounts to deliberate, intentional attempt on the part of Delhi Metro, Delhi Police and the Union government which must be dealt with an iron hand,” the plea, filed through advocate Chand Qureshi, said.

The petition referred to the top court’s October 9 order which was passed while hearing a separate petition against the closure of 57 metro stations and cancellation of trains to Delhi in view of the protest.

The protest call was given by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and some student organisations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.

While hearing the separate petition on Friday, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Bagchi and Mohana had directed the Centre to ensure that there was no “complete prohibition” of the movement of metro and trains coming to Delhi on October 10 due to the protest, saying they cannot bring everything to a halt.

Though law enforcement agencies have the right to take steps to restrict unruly movement, citizens should not be unduly harassed, the top court had said.