New Delhi: Union Home secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chairperson D Thara have been named in a contempt petition filed in Supreme Court on Saturday.
The petition, filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi, alleged that the Centre and Delhi authorities violated the top court’s order to lift blanket restrictions on Metro and train services.
In its order, the Supreme Court had also directed that traffic advisories be published ahead of Saturday’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar.
Police and the administration had imposed the restrictions keeping in mind the protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the conduct of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The petition stated that despite the Supreme Court’s clear order requiring the Centre to ensure that the public was not inconvenienced in any manner, no traffic advisory was published in newspapers and there was no change in the decision to shut down 57 Metro stations and cancel several Delhi-bound trains terminating at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations.
“Notwithstanding the solemn judicial mandate and the assurance recorded before the bench of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), the contemnors have consciously maintained a blanket shutdown across transit corridors, persisted with unwarranted train cancellations, and failed to issue or publicize transparent traffic and transit advisories,” the contempt plea stated.
“This deliberate recalcitrance has severely crippled public life across the National Capital Territory, stranding essential travellers, and amounts to an intentional attempt to bypass and undermine the authority and majesty of this court,” the plea added.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana had passed the order on October 9 over a petition filed by CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Gopal Sankaranarayanan had informed the top court that the restrictions were so prohibitive that ordinary citizens would be inconvenienced as roads remained barricaded, major Metro stations were closed and trains were cancelled, amid other restrictions.
Delhi Police had denied CJP permission to protest at Jantar Mantar, and enforced strict vigilance and security measures to prevent any untoward incident.
