Delhi HC agrees to hear plea seeking formation of fact-finding committee on Jamia incident

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a petition seeking to constitute a fact-finding committee to look into the Jamia Millia Islamia violence incident and provide the injured students with proper medical treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) free of cost.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice D N Patel was hearing a petition filed by lawyer Rizwan Nizami through his advocates Tariq Khan and Apoorv Singhal.

The plea sought the appointment of a fact-finding committee comprising of former Judges of the Supreme Court and High Court. The matter will be heard on Thursday.

The petitioner sought directions to allow the students to enter the university, while also seeking that no coercive step be taken in FIRs registered against the students.

It alleged that the Delhi Police used "arbitrary, excessive, discriminatory and illegal force" against the students, more particularly, female students of Jamia on the false pretext of restoring law and order.

The petitioner submitted that the students were merely protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act through a peaceful march.

"As per various accounts by the students and multiple videos readily available, the said protest and exercise of the fundamental rights by the Students of Jamia Millia University was disrupted by the Delhi Police, by using unjustified, excessive, arbitrary and brute force, in total disregard of Law and conventions," the petition read.

The plea said that the injuries received by the students are grievous in nature and many of them were rushed to AIIMS and Apollo Hospital.

"Such acts by the police cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be termed as a justifiable and reasonable police action. It can only be called a blatant abuse of power upon unarmed and innocent students," the petition said.

The petition has sought a direction that the police should not enter the University premises without the requisite permission from the authorities.