Delhi High Court Seeks Police Report on Activist’s Illegal Detention Plea
The Delhi High Court has sought a status report from Delhi Police after activist Mohammad Wasiq Nadeem Khan alleged unlawful confinement and surveillance to prevent him from attending a protest at Jantar Mantar.
The Delhi High Court has asked Delhi Police to submit a status report on civil rights activist Mohammad Wasiq Nadeem Khan’s petition alleging illegal detention ahead of a protest in the capital.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notice on Monday. It also questioned the police conduct during the hearing, asking why officers had entered Khan’s residence and allegedly restricted his movement.
Khan’s counsel told the court that two police personnel visited his residence-cum-office on September 29 and prevented him from leaving for several hours. The petition alleges that officers confined him between 9.30 am and 5.30 pm to stop him from attending a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The protest had been called by civil society groups over alleged repeated attacks on places of worship. Khan also alleged continued surveillance and repeated calls from police concerning subsequent protests on October 2 and 5.
Delhi Police denied detaining Khan, stating that personnel had visited him only to make inquiries after his request for protest permission was rejected. The police also sought time to submit their response and assured the court that further phone calls would stop.
Khan, national secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights and founder of the United Against Hate initiative, has argued that his confinement violated his freedom of movement. He also claimed that officers neither formally arrested him nor provided written grounds for restricting his movement.
The High Court’s status-report order brings the allegations under judicial scrutiny. The claims have yet to be established in court.
