Delhi Police Seeks Extension for Investigation in UGC Regulation Protest Case

Delhi Police Requests More Time for Investigation

The Delhi Police has approached the Rouse Avenue court to request additional time for further investigation into the case related to the protest against the UGC regulation draft at Jantar Mantar in 2025. An FIR was filed at the Parliament Street police station in 2025, and charges have been brought against several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal, Akhilesh Yadav, A. Raja, and Kanimozhi. During the hearing, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Ashwani Pawar listened to the police's status report and their request for more time to continue the investigation.

Previously, the Rouse Avenue court had inquired why notices were not issued to the proposed accused to participate in the investigation and why the police report was filed without notifying ten of the accused.

Details from Previous Hearings

In the last hearing on February 19, Assistant Judge Paras Dalal noted that the charge sheet named eleven individuals as accused. The police report indicated that one accused, CVMP Ezhilarasan, was issued a notice via email on April 7, 2025, under Section 35(3) of the BNSSS to participate in the investigation, which the court acknowledged. Furthermore, the court noted that the police report stated that the accused did not engage in the investigation. The investigating officer (IO) did not take any further steps to involve CVMP Ezhilarasan in the case. Regarding the other ten accused, no notices were issued by the IO for their participation in the investigation.

Court's Findings on Investigation Procedures

The court determined that the investigating officer failed to adhere to the Supreme Court's ruling in the case of Satyendra Kumar Antil and violated the Delhi Police's standing order from 2020.