Delhi High Court Orders Preservation of Evidence in Police Brutality Case During CJP Protest

The Delhi High Court issued a directive on Wednesday for authorities to secure CCTV footage, videography, and all relevant records related to the alleged police brutality during the 'Cockroach People's Party' (CJP) protests in the national capital. The court also acknowledged two petitions requesting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe under its supervision. The bench, comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia, mandated that the materials be preserved in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the Delhi Police or the central government. Additionally, the court sought responses from the central government and Delhi Police regarding the petitions that call for an SIT investigation into the excessive use of force, filing FIRs against police personnel, and presenting deployment and operational records, along with disciplinary actions against the involved officials. The case is scheduled for hearing on September 11.

During the proceedings, Senior Advocate N. Hariharan, representing the petitioners, argued that the protest began peacefully at Jantar Mantar but escalated into severe brutality. He claimed that no warnings or signals were given before the use of force and accused the police of acting excessively and vindictively. Hariharan further alleged that unarmed protesters were brutally beaten, female demonstrators faced harassment, and over 90 individuals sustained injuries. He urged the court to order the filing of FIRs against identifiable officers and to investigate the entire incident. Senior Advocate Vikas Singh noted that although the crowd had grown by July 20, it remained entirely peaceful, and officials did not claim that the crowd had turned violent.

Singh also alleged that several individuals in plain clothes attacked protesters without provocation, asserting that there were no accusations of violence against the demonstrators. Senior Lawyer Gopal Shankaranarayanan argued that many involved in the police action were not in uniform. He accused Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba of assaulting a woman standing by the side and requested that the officer be summoned and held accountable. Referring to alleged footage of the incident, he claimed that indiscriminate use of tear gas, baton charges, and beatings were inflicted upon women, mothers, and family members present at the protest.