Delhi High Court Declines Urgent Hearing on Jantar Mantar Protester Surveillance
The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to grant an urgent hearing on a petition seeking to restrain the Delhi Police from carrying out continuous surveillance of peaceful protesters at Jantar Mantar.
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, instead listed the matter for a scheduled hearing on Monday.
The petition was filed by Aishe Ghosh, the former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU). During the Friday proceedings, her lawyer, Nandita Rao, urged the court to take up the matter immediately, arguing that the ongoing police filming was actively damaging the morale of the protesters.
According to the petition, the sit-in protest by members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) commenced at Jantar Mantar on June 20. Since the beginning of the demonstration, the protesters have allegedly been subjected to constant photography, videography, and round-the-clock monitoring.
The petition highlighted that a permanent surveillance tower has been installed at the Jantar Mantar protest site to facilitate this monitoring.
Ghosh contended in the petition that the scope of the police surveillance extends far beyond simply documenting the demonstration. The monitoring reportedly captures the routine personal activities of the participants, including eating, resting, seeking medical assistance, and other aspects of their daily lives.
The petition alleged that this continuous monitoring has created a pervasive atmosphere of fear among the participants. It has reportedly deterred several students from joining the protest, associating with the movement, or openly expressing their views.
Furthermore, the petition stated that the surveillance apparatus is being used as an instrument of intimidation and deterrence against student protesters. It claimed that on multiple occasions, police personnel threatened student participants by telling them that the photographs and videos recorded at Jantar Mantar would be forwarded to their parents, guardians, and the principals or authorities of their respective educational institutions.
