The Delhi High Court announced on Thursday that it will hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Friday concerning a request for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest and march to the parliament that took place on July 20. The matter was presented for an urgent hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
Advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, representing the petitioner, emphasized the need for an expedited listing of the case. “This is related to the alleged student agitation that has essentially held Delhi hostage. We urge the court to schedule this for tomorrow. The road blockades are causing significant inconvenience to Delhi’s citizens,” he argued before the judges. The court thus agreed to list the hearing for Friday, July 24.
The petition, brought forward by Satish Kumar Aggarwal, a former Vice-President of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, claims that the protest was not a genuine student movement but rather a politically motivated demonstration orchestrated by foreign influences aiming to destabilize the nation. The plea suggests that “external funding” facilitated the agitation.
Aggarwal’s petition requests the court to direct the NIA or another competent agency to investigate the protest, assume control of all First Information Reports (FIRs) filed by Delhi Police, and identify and prosecute individuals allegedly responsible for the violence, vandalism, and emergency service obstructions that occurred during the protest.
The petition further contends, “The so-called protest does not appear to be genuinely student-led or concerning student issues. Instead, it seems to be part of a broader conspiracy, allegedly orchestrated by anti-national and foreign elements, seeking to destabilize the country through financial and monetary influence.” The plea highlights incidents during the July 20 protest, which included public movement obstruction, damage to property, attacks on journalists, injuries to police personnel, and attempts to advance towards the Parliament.
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The petition also references reports concerning activist Sonam Wangchuk’s alleged connections with foreign organizations, asserting that these associations warrant investigation by the relevant authorities. It claims, “The purported protest, ostensibly organized under the guise of demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister, involved individuals and groups whose activities and statements appear driven by an anti-India agenda.”
