A day after JNU students, teachers, and journalists at Patiala House Court were roughed up inside Patiala House Courts’ complex by lawyers, the Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to hear a petition on Wednesday to take corrective measures and ensure fair trial in the sedition case pending against JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar.
The Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur passed the order after the petition filed by JNU alumnus ND Jayakumar was mentioned in the court after lunch. Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Indira Jaising appealed to the court to list the matter urgently following the shocking incident that took place inside the Patiala House Courts’ complex.
Meanwhile, senior editors of national media and hundreds of journalists took out a protest march from Press Club of India to the Supreme Court and submitted a memorandum to its Registrar seeking cancellation of licences of lawyers involved in the assault. In the memorandum, the journalists said the Delhi Police did nothing even as “brutal assault” was unleashed by lawyers on mediapersons, including women scribes, in and outside the courtroom.
A separate delegation of journalists also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding his intervention in ensuring “accountability of the Delhi Police who watched silently as the assault happened”. They criticised Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi for describing the incident as a “minor scuffle”.