Public Interest Litigation filed by law graduate,Harmanpreet Singh seeking release of those 'illegally detained' by the policeduring tractor parade has been dismissed by Delhi High Court. The court hasordered Delhi Police to complete the investigation and take action inaccordance with law.
While dismissing the plea, court said, "no reliefwithout entering into merits of FIRs and Investigation." It added, "Within24 hours, the arrested persons will have to be produced before the nearestmagistrate."
The divisional bench of Chief Justice DN Patel andJustice Jyoti Singh noted that this "appears to be a publicity interestlitigation."
The petitioner, Singh said, "people were illegallydetained from the Singhu, Ghaziabad and Tikri borders, in the absence of anFIR, thereby violating the basic fabric of liberty."
Singh added that Delhi Police in a statement on January27 had said they had detained around 200 protesters in connection with theviolence during the tractor parade on Republic day.
"Furthermore, through personal data collection, thepetitioner has the names of 15 people out of the aforementioned set of persons,who have been missing and detained since 26 and 27 January, and despite apassage of over four days, no legally tenable reason has surfaced supportingsuch detention," it said.
The Supreme Court had already stayed the implementationof farm laws on January 12. It also framed a committee to look into thegrievances of farmers over the contentious farm laws. However, farmers want therepeal of laws. Moreover, the union government has also offered the protestingfarmers to put the laws in abeyance for 18 months but the farmers had rejectedit.