Republic Day violence: Delhi HC tells Centre, Police to take action as per law in FIRs

New Delhi, Feb 02: Days after the Republic Day violence, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Centre and the police to take action in accordance with the law in the FIRs registered in connection with the violence.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued the direction while dismissing a PIL seeking immediate release of persons allegedly illegally detained by police since January 26 in connection with the protests on the Republic Day.

While dismissing the petition, the court also observed that it appeared to be a 'publicity' interest litigation.

The petitioner, a law graduate, claims that he has come to know through news reports and social activists that people were detained from the Singhu, Ghaziabad and Tikri borders.

In his petition, Harman Preet Singh had claimed that Delhi Police on January 27 said that it has detained over 200 persons in connection with the violence in the national capital on January 26 and 22 FIRs have also been registered thus far.

On Tuesday, during the hearing, advocate Ashima Mandla told the bench that according to news reports Delhi Police has lodged 44 FIRs in connection with the incident and around 120 persons have been detained.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various border points of Delhi for over two months now against the three laws -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act.