ASHISHPURI
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken a stern view of the protest-related case involving Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Phagwara, Punjab. The court has directed the Punjab government to submit an investigation report to the Centre within 72 hours. The Centre, in turn, has been asked to decide within seven days of receiving the report whether the investigation should be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
A Division Bench comprising the Chief Justice A K Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor issued the directions on Wednesday while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Ravi Raj, an LPU student. The petitioner has sought an impartial investigation into the case involving the university by an independent agency.
During the hearing, the court was informed that the Punjab Police had invoked Section 66F of the Information Technology (IT) Act in the case. The provision deals with offences related to cyber terrorism and may also cover aspects involving cross-border cyber activities.
The court considered this legal provision significant, as offences under Section 66F of the IT Act are classified as scheduled offences under the NIA Act. This has brought the possibility of transferring the investigation to the NIA into consideration.
The court also examined the procedure prescribed under the NIA Act, which requires the state government to submit a report to the Central government in such cases. The Centre then decides whether the matter warrants an NIA investigation.
Following this procedure, the High Court directed the Punjab government to forward its report to the Centre within 72 hours and instructed the Central government to take a decision within seven days of receiving it.
After issuing these directions, the court adjourned the hearing.
