Ramjas incident: Court questions filing of plea for FIR

A Delhi court today wondered as to why a criminal complaint, seeking lodging of an FIR in the Ramjas College incident in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, was filed before it.
The court expressed its anguish over the complainant and said, "It's all between students. Why are you entering into it?"
"If you are so agitated with these words and slogans, why are you again saying them in the open court? Is it expected from you to reiterate such issues and saying these things in the open court," Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Satish Kumar Arora told complainant Vivek Garg, an advocate.

"There are so many other pertinent issues to deal with. If you are so much concerned, come in my court as a legal aid counsel or do cases pro-bono (doing legal work without any charge). Already, there is so much of pendency in courts," the court said.
When Garg made submissions by detailing the allegations of alleged anti-national slogans being raised on campus, the court said it was not expected from him to reiterate such words in the open court.
When the counsel said the complaint was in national interest, the court remarked, "Delaying judicial process is also not in national interest."

The CMM thereafter transferred the plea to the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra for hearing on March 6.

During the hearing, Garg said it was a serious matter as anti-national slogans were raised at Ramjas College allegedly by members of students groups AISA and SFI and a similar incident had taken place in JNU last year which had a massive impact on the nation.
The plea alleged that such slogans were shocking, damaging
for the country and an open challenge to its unity and safety and the judicial system.
It alleged that organisers of the seminar had misled the college administration to obtain nod for the event but they "conducted activities against the nation and tried to wage a war against the country".

Though the college administration withdrew the permission, the leaders committed the crime by raising "anti-national slogans" and some of the students of JNU and Ramjas College also came in support of these anti-national activities which needs to be investigated, the plea alleged.
It sought lodging of FIR for the alleged offences of sedition, criminal conspiracy, waging war against the State and defamation under the IPC.
The complainant said he had earlier given a complaint to the SHO of Maurice Nagar Police Station but no action was taken, following which he moved the court.
On February 21, members of RSS student wing ABVP had gathered outside the college and shouted slogans in protest against a seminar for which JNU students Omar Khalid and Shehla Rashid were invited. The ABVP members allegedly pelted stones, vandalised the venue and disrupted the seminar.

The next day violent clashes erupted between Left and ABVP students leaving "several students and three teachers injured".