New Delhi: Family members of police personnel who sustained injuries during the Jantar Mantar protests have moved the Supreme Court, saying the “human side” of those affected by street violence has been overlooked in a case focused primarily on protesters’ rights.
Currently, two Interlocutory Applications (IAs) have been filed—one by a group of four families and the other by a group of five. In their pleas, the children and the spouses of the police personnel detail the injuries suffered by their fathers and husbands. They say the top court should declare that police and law-enforcement personnel are “equally entitled to the protection of law under Article 14 and Article 21, even when they are on duty”.
The two pleas also ask the court to fix accountability for those “responsible for instigating, abetting and inflicting violence on law enforcement personnel”.
The first IA, filed by four families, details a series of violent police-protester escalations that took place between 20 and 25 July, near Jantar Mantar and other parts of Delhi. They have alleged that law-enforcement personnel were subjected to unprovoked and lethal aggression by mobs using “glass bottles, stones, sharpened floor tiles and other material”.
Highlighting a “sudden engineered rage” that erupted on 25 July, even while the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) representatives were holding the final rounds of negotiations with the government, the family members claim that the timeline of these events “strongly suggests the violence… was a conspired and orchestrated event”.
The applicants further allege that officers were isolated by unruly mobs and subjected to attempts at “mob lynching”.
Citing medical records and discharge summaries, the application claims SI Sandeep Kumar was allegedly beaten so brutally with sticks and stones that he sustained multiple lacerated wounds across his head, requiring primary suturing.
The plea documents other injuries too. ACP Kailash Bisht sustained a “severe 5x1x1 cm laceration over his scalp” with an elevated pulse of 130/min upon evacuation to the hospital, it says.
ASI Hamender Rathi suffered “two fractures on the left side of his face and a hairline fracture near the hip”. Also, Constable Dheeraj sustained “soft-tissue injuries and severe trauma to the head”.
The applicants state that near about “150 to 200 women and men in uniform were injured” across the various days of violence.
The applicants, represented by advocate D.V. Raghuvamsy, seek to be impleaded in the criminal writ petition (Himanshu v UOI), seeking an independent judicial probe into police action during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march organised by the Cockroach Janta Party on 20 July.
To ensure the court has a “complete factual matrix” and the perspective of the families of the injured, they argue that the fundamental right to life under Article 21 extends equally to public servants discharging their duties.
Additionally, they also seek guidelines issued to the central government for “protecting women and men in uniform while on duty from being assaulted”.
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Plea by 5 families
The second application has been filed by the relatives of five officers—Inspector Nand Kishore Singh, Head Constable Rajendra Kumar Meena, ASI Vinod Kumar, ASI Dharmender Singh Sidhu and SI Ashok Kumar Meena—who were allegedly injured while on duty at the protest site. The plea argues that they are “directly affected” by the prayers sought in the original petition (Himanshu v UOI) against law-enforcement agencies and personnel.
The applicants express deep concern over what they describe as a “one-sided narrative being created against the uniformed officials”.
They allege that while officers were maintaining law and order, they faced “unprovoked violence and were singled out and chased by mobs” consisting of miscreants who had “disguised themselves as peaceful protestors”.
The application, filed by advocate Srishti Mishra and represented by senior advocate Sridhar Potaraju and advocate Neha Kohli, highlights the “brutal” nature of the attacks, stating that Inspector Nand Kishore Singh was “beaten mercilessly with lathis and sticks” and received serious injuries to his head and face.
Similarly, other police personnel sustained internal injuries, bruises, and head trauma, says the plea, also appending medico-legal case (MLC) reports and photographs as evidence.
They also seek directions to the central government to formulate and implement a comprehensive policy and guidelines to protect men and women in uniform from assault and intimidation while on duty.
Also, they demand that accountability is duly fixed on those responsible for “instigating, provoking, abetting… or orchestrating” acts of violence against the police.
The families maintain that the right to protest is not a “free rein to inflict physical harm” or engage in acts of violence against public servants, urging the court to consider the “human side” of those who suffered while attempting to maintain public order.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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