HC allows youth to hold anit-rape protest at Jantar Mantar

The Delhi high court on Monday extended by five more days its permission to a 25-year-old youth to hold peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar against the December 16 brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedic.

"The petitioner is allowed to hold peaceful protest till January 11," Justice S P Garg said and disposed of the plea of  Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, president of Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena, that he was 'illegally detained' for 10 days and was not allowed to take part in the anti-rape protests in New Delhi.

The court, however, did not allow Bagga's plea to declare his detention from December 24, 2012 to January 2 as 'illegal, arbitrary and unreasonable', taking note of the police's reply he had been detained to maintain public tranquillity.

The court had issued notices to the police commissioner and the Delhi government earlier to respond to Bagga's plea. The police first went to Bagga's house on December 23 but by then he had already left for India Gate to take part in the protests, Vikas Padora, the counsel for Bagga had said adding as a result his old father was detained in the police station.

"The petitioner was in continuous illegal detention since December 24, 2012 to January 02, 2013, the plea said, adding 'the petitioner was detained in police station and also in his own home without any justified reason or apprehension'.

Bagga and his organisation had come to light recently after they claimed responsibility for the attack on lawyer Prashant Bhushan.