New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday agreed to urgently hear a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the July 20 “Parliament Chalo” protest over the alleged NEET paper leak. The petition alleges that the demonstration was part of a larger conspiracy involving foreign-funded organisations and external influences.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela agreed to list the matter for hearing on Friday after advocate Barun Kumar Sinha sought urgent listing, arguing that the protest had severely disrupted normal life in the national capital.
The petition, filed by Satish Kumar Agarwal, former vice-president of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, contends that the protest, initially organised over the alleged NEET paper leak, later assumed a political character following the participation of leaders from several political parties.
It alleges that the July 20 march led to violence, disruption of public transport, attacks on journalists, damage to public and private property, attempts to breach Parliament’s security and injuries to police personnel. The petitioner has sought an independent NIA investigation into the role of the organisers, protesters and any alleged external influence behind the demonstration.
The plea also refers to social activist Sonam Wangchuk, alleging that publicly available material relating to his alleged links with foreign organisations should be examined by investigating agencies. It further seeks scrutiny of the funding sources and organisational associations connected to the protest.
Claiming that the agitation was not a genuine student movement, the petition alleges that anti-India and foreign-backed elements attempted to exploit public unrest to advance a broader agenda.
The petition also names author Arundhati Roy, alleging that her previous public statements on Kashmir warrant examination in connection with the protest. In addition, it alleges that several political leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Atishi, Dimple Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and Chandra Shekhar Azad, influenced the course of the protest and incited demonstrators to violence and attempts to breach Parliament’s premises.
The allegations contained in the petition have been placed before the court and are yet to be adjudicated.
