The Delhi High Court on Thursday agreed to urgently hear on Friday a public interest litigation seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest over the alleged NEET paper leak, with the petitioner alleging that the demonstration was part of a wider conspiracy involving foreign-funded organisations and political actors.
The plea was mentioned before a Division Bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia by advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, who sought urgent listing, claiming the protest had severely disrupted normal life in the national capital.
Sinha submitted that the agitation, projected as a students' protest, had brought large parts of Delhi to a standstill, with major roads blocked and commuters facing inconvenience. Accepting the request, the Bench directed that the matter be listed for hearing on Friday.
The petition has been filed by Satish Kumar Aggarwal, a former vice-president of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.
According to the plea, the protest, which initially centred on the alleged NEET paper leak, later assumed a political character after the participation of leaders from several political parties.
It alleged that the July 20 march resulted in violence, disruption of public movement, attacks on journalists, damage to public and private property, attempts to breach Parliament security and injuries to police personnel. In view of these allegations, the petitioner has sought an independent probe into the role of organisers, participants and any alleged external influence.
The petition also refers to the participation of social activist Sonam Wangchuk, claiming that publicly available material regarding his alleged links with foreign organisations warrants examination by investigating agencies. It further alleges that his institutional associations and funding sources should be scrutinised while examining the broader network connected with the protest.
Claiming that the agitation was not a genuine students' movement, the petitioner alleged it appeared to be a coordinated attempt by anti-India and foreign-backed elements to exploit public unrest for a larger agenda.
The plea also names author Arundhati Roy, alleging that her presence at the protest raises questions about the objectives behind the demonstration in light of her past public remarks on Kashmir.
Further, it alleges that several political leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Atishi, Dimple Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and Chandra Shekhar Azad, took over the protest and influenced the course of the agitation. It claims they, along with their supporters, instigated protesters to indulge in violence and attempt to breach Parliament premises.
Arguing that the incident goes beyond an ordinary law-and-order issue, the petitioner contended that the alleged attempt to enter Parliament and the possibility of organised or external involvement justify an investigation by a specialised national security agency.
The PIL has sought transfer of all investigations relating to the July 20 protest from Delhi Police to the NIA or any other specialised agency. It has also sought consolidation of all FIRs linked to the incident and a direction to ensure identification and prosecution of those allegedly involved in violence, vandalism, obstruction of emergency services and damage to public and private property.