The Supreme Court Tuesday agreed to hear an application, filed by former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and others, seeking direction to the police to lodge FIRs on the complaints regarding the ongoing violence in Delhi over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The application was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, which said it would be heard on Wednesday.
The death toll rose to nine on Tuesday in the violence over the amended citizenship law that has rocked northeast Delhi.
The bench is already scheduled to hear two pleas seeking removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh, the epicentre of agitation against the CAA for over two months.
The fresh application, filed by Habibullah, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and social activist Bahadur Abbas Naqvi, has also sought direction to the authorities to provide adequate security and ensure safety of women protestors at Shaheen Bagh and other places in the national capital.
They have already filed an intervention application in the top court in the pending plea seeking removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh.
In their fresh application, they have alleged that on February 23, "Kapil Mishra, who is known for making speeches to instigate crowds with violence and vandalism, carried out a pro-CAA rally next to the Maujpur-Babarpur metro station which is 2 km away from peaceful protests that were going on at Jaffrabad".
Referring to media report, the application alleged that Mishra first gathered supporters near the Maujpur-Babarpur metro station and in an "orchestrated move", he left the place after having incited the crowd, after which violence erupted in Jaffrabad and the peaceful protestors were forced to run for safety.
It alleged that the persons who were hurt in the attack on February 23, had filed complaints with the police but no action was taken against the perpetrators of violence.
"Open threats are now been given to the protestors at Shaheen Bagh that they will meet the same fate as meted out to the peaceful women protestors at Jaffrabad, Chand Bagh. It is therefore imperative that appropriate orders are passed to put a stop to this violence on peaceful protestors and the guilty are brought to book," the application, settled by advocate Mehmood Pracha, alleged.
It claimed that violence has escalated through the day with "horrific incidents of violence and arson" but the police has refused to lodge FIRs against the attackers.
"As per various reports, anti-social elements from the surrounding villages of UP have entered Delhi in buses and trucks and have been attacking the residents of Delhi and the peaceful protestors," the application claimed.
It sought a direction to the police to register FIRs on the complaints that are being made in respect of the attacks that started in the evening of February 23 and which escalated throughout the day of February 24.
On Monday, the Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors had filed their report in a sealed cover in the apex court following their talks with protestors at Shaheen Bagh.
The court had on February 17 asked senior advocate Sanjay Hegde to "play a constructive role as an interlocutor" and talk to the protestors to move to an alternative site where no public place would be blocked.
It had said that Hegde along with advocate Sadhana Ramachandran or any other person of his choice may talk to the protestors.
The apex court was hearing an appeal filed by advocate Amit Sahni, who had approached the Delhi High Court seeking directions to Delhi Police to ensure smooth traffic flow on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch, which was blocked by anti-CAA protesters on December 15 last year.
While dealing with Sahni's plea, the high court had asked local authorities to deal with the situation keeping in mind law and order.
Separately, former BJP MLA Nand Kishore Garg has filed a plea in the apex court seeking directions to authorities to remove protestors from Shaheen Bagh.
Restrictions have been imposed on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch and the Okhla underpass, which were closed on December 15 last year due to protests against CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
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