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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

HC denies shield to anti-CEC protesters

Court says it will intervene if specific illegalities are brought to its notice Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to pass blanket orders against police detentions of people protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while assuring that it would take action if specific illegalities are brought before it. The court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Sagar Devre, who alleged that Mumbai police illegally detained hundreds of peaceful demonstrators,...

HC denies shield to anti-CEC protesters

Court says it will intervene if specific illegalities are brought to its notice Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to pass blanket orders against police detentions of people protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while assuring that it would take action if specific illegalities are brought before it. The court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Sagar Devre, who alleged that Mumbai police illegally detained hundreds of peaceful demonstrators, including women and students, who took out marches in solidarity with agitations in the national capital over the weekend. Advocate Manish Tomar, representing the petitioner, urged the court to issue an interim order restraining the police from making further detentions during peaceful demonstrations. A division bench, however, declined the plea for a general stay on police action.
Court’s Assurance "We cannot pass a blanket order saying no person shall be detained. You point out if there is any such instance, we will take care. We will not permit anything wrong," the court observed. Additional Government Pleader Manish Upadhye sought time to seek instructions from the concerned authorities on the claims made in the petition. Accepting the request, the high court adjourned the matter and posted the plea for further hearing on October 19. Devre's plea sought protection of the fundamental rights of citizens, peaceful demonstrators, lawyers and others in connection with the protests in the national capital against the CEC. Terming it as an issue involving the fundamental right of people, the PIL said it was filed to protect a simple freedom of every Mumbai resident citizens – to walk freely on the city roads, to stand peacefully with others, or to stay in one’s home “without being lifted and carried away” by the police without an individual reason. It mentioned how students were allegedly picked up from their homes in connection with protest cases dating back to July 2026, which the petition said had already been quashed by the Supreme Court. Making it clear that the challenge was not against the police’s legal authority to regulate public assemblies or the political positions taken by protesters, the petitioner claimed it was to question the practice of detaining people without individualised, lawful and recorded reasons, or using previously quashed cases and past detentions against them. Invoking Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law, the plea argued that coercive action based merely on a person's association, appearance on a list, previous detention or presence in a public place would amount to arbitrary state action. It further contended that a quashed FIR could not be used as a continuing basis for hostile discriminatory treatment as a ‘permanent mark’ against a citizen since "a quashed FIR is no FIR at all”. The PIL seeks the court's declaration as 'unconstitutional' the sweeping detention of peaceful demonstrators, pedestrians and others without lawful individual justification. It seeks an independent inquiry into the alleged police excesses, preservation of CCTV footage, police records, a verified list of the detenus and framing of standard operating procedures to govern policing action during mass-protests. Long detentions The petitioner contended that the detentions went beyond the demonstrators to include bystanders and passers-by, among them women, a mother with a child and a senior citizen. Among those detained included Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Arun Gandhi, his daughter Kasturi, actor Imran Khan, activists Feroze Mithiborwala, S. L. Guddi, scores of youth and students, though they were released after several hours of detention by various police stations.

Public Service and a New Path to Change

Writer: Akhilesh Sinha
Akhilesh Sinha
2 days ago
2 min read

Part - 3

Name: Divya Mittal

Where: (born) . Work: Uttar Pradesh

Besides the festivities, Navratri is an occasion to honour women's courage, determination and self-confidence. The nine forms of Goddess Durga inspire us to stand against injustice, confront challenges fearlessly and dedicate ourselves to the welfare of society. Against this spiritual backdrop, Divya Mittal, a daughter of Haryana, has drawn attention with her decision to enter Uttar Pradesh politics. A 2013-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, she announced her resignation in August this year, expressing her desire to explore a new avenue for public service through politics.

 

Born on December 23, 1983, in Rewari, Haryana, and raised in Delhi, Divya Mittal graduated in Engineering Physics from IIT Delhi and pursued management studies at IIM Bangalore. After working with JPMorgan in London, she chose the civil services. She secured the 68th rank nationwide in the 2012 UPSC examination and joined the IAS. Her husband, Gagandeep Singh Dhillon, is also a former civil services officer. The couple has two daughters.

 

Mittal began her administrative career as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Meerut before serving as Chief Development Officer in Gonda and District Magistrate in Sant Kabir Nagar, Mirzapur and Deoria. Her last assignment was as Special Secretary in the Uttar Pradesh government's Board of Revenue. Having gained considerable administrative experience, she now seeks to pursue change through greater public participation in politics.

 

During her tenure as District Magistrate of Mirzapur, Mittal helped bring piped drinking water to Lahuria Dah, a remote village nestled among the district's hills. Its nearly 2,000 residents had long depended on water tankers, a damaged well and a distant reservoir. In August 2023, after decades of hardship, piped water reached 125 households.

 

The achievement demonstrates how administrative sensitivity, combined with determination, can bring tangible improvements to ordinary people's lives.

 

During Navratri, Mittal visited the Vindhyavasini Devi temple in Mirzapur. Rather than joining an established political party, she expressed her intention to build a new political platform with citizens. She invited teachers, doctors, farmers, labourers, students and ordinary people to join her initiative.

 

Challenging the influence of money, muscle power and caste-religion calculations in electoral politics, she declared, “I do not want to spend that money; I want the road instead.” Her vision is to create a platform where people can speak freely, raise questions and participate without fear.

 

Mittal’s initiative represents a possible convergence of women’s empowerment and public service. However, translating good intentions into popular support will require a strong organisation, clear policies and sustained public engagement.

 

Her political journey, beginning amid prayers to Goddess Vindhyavasini, will be meaningful only if its ultimate purpose is not the pursuit of power but the welfare of society, especially its most vulnerable citizens. That, too, is a profound expression of the divine feminine celebrated during Navratri.

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