The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant an urgent hearing to a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a declaration that the removal of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from the Jantar Mantar protest site to Safdarjung Hospital by the Delhi Police was illegal and unconstitutional.
The PIL was mentioned for urgent listing before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, which declined the request for immediate listing and directed that the petition be taken up on Wednesday in accordance with the roster.
The petitioner contended that the police action in shifting Wangchuk from the protest venue to the hospital violated his fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution. It further sought constitutional protection for the protesters, alleging police harassment and claiming that the lives of several participants in the ongoing protest were at risk.
The High Court, however, was not persuaded that the matter required immediate intervention. Observing that the principal relief sought in the petition was a declaration regarding the legality of the police action, the Chief Justice noted that such a declaration did not warrant urgent listing and could be considered on the scheduled date of hearing.
Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar since June 28 in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, which is demanding accountability for alleged irregularities and repeated paper leaks in competitive examinations, including NEET, and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
On July 18, Delhi Police shifted him from the protest site to Safdarjung Hospital after his health reportedly deteriorated following the prolonged fast. The transfer followed a July 16 order of a Division Bench of the High Court directing the authorities to monitor his health daily and undertake such medical intervention as may be necessary in view of his deteriorating condition.
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