One Court, Two Eras : Judicial Approaches To Ramlila Maidan Incident & Student Protest Crackdown
This article compares the Supreme Court's 2011 intervention against police violence at Ramlila Maidan with the current judicial response to student protests at Jantar Mantar. The author argues that the judiciary has become less proactive in addressing police brutality compared to the past.
Why it matters
It highlights concerns regarding the erosion of judicial oversight and the protection of civil liberties in the face of state force.
In the wee hours of June 5, 2011, the Delhi police unleashed a violent midnight crackdown on sleeping protesters who had gathered at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan to attend the protest called by Baba Ramdev against black money.The very next day, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the police crackdown, referring to various press reports. The case “In Re : Ramlila Maidan Incident", ultimately led to a landmark judgment the next year, which marks one of the strongest judicial interventions against police violence in independent India. The Court unequivocally condemned the police action as an “abuse of power” and “invasion of liberties”. Going beyond a mere declaration, it directed departmental and criminal action against police personnel found responsible for acts such as brick-throwing, lathi-charge and excessive use of tear gas.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in