Jamia Violence: Three Former Students Move SC For Judicial Probe [Read Petition]

Three former students of Jamia Milia Islamia moved the Supreme Court on Monday seeking an independent judicial inquiry by a retired Supreme Court and/or High Court Judge into the alleged police atrocities on students of the varsity protesting peacefully against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act.

The petition was mentioned before Chief Justice S A Bobde by advocate M Mobashshir Sarwar, who is also one of the three petitioners. Sarwar did his schooling from Jamia.

The other two co-petitioners are Vani Xaxa, an independent researcher with PhD in Sociology from Jamia, and Syed Mujtaba Athar, a law graduate from Jamia.

As they seek judicial inquiry into the incident, the petitioners urge that the Registrar of the University be directed to freeze the CCTV footage recorded by the Proctor Office, Students Affairs' Section and Office of the Security Advisor for the purpose of judicial inquiry.

Impleading the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Jamia Milia Islamia as respondents, the petitioners say they are deeply hurt by the Sunday atrocities in the precincts of Jamia and concerned about the life and liberty of thousands of students as they pleaded that a judicial inquiry should ascertain "responsibilities of the lapses on the part of the officials of the Respondent – Ministry of Home Affairs, Union of India" and "disciplinary as well as penal actions against the erring official(s)".

Ruing how police made forcible entry into girls hostel and school section and harassed innocent students, the petitioners sought direction to the MHA to forthwith remove the Delhi Police as well as allied forces deployed by it from and around the varsity.

The petition also prays for release of Jamia students "illegally detained" by the police "amidst peaceful and democratic protests" against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Besides this, it prays that "police should not be allowed to barge into the campus of educational institutions/universities without the permission from the respective Competent Authority and/or prior written approval from the concerned Head of the institutions/universities".

With senior advocates Indira Jaising and Colin Gonsalves also moving the court for its intervention, the CJI said it will hear the pleas tomorrow. Gonsalves has also urged the court for a judicial inquiry into the matter.

Click here to download the Petition