Panaji, Oct 19 The Bombay High Court on Monday took on record the medical reports of six out of seven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesters detained by the Goa police during an anti-CEC demonstration last week.
A division bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar permitted the petitioners to file a rejoinder to affidavits submitted by police officials defending the October 11 detentions, and adjourned the matter to November 3.
The bench is hearing habeas corpus petitions challenging the detention of protesters during a demonstration at Azad Maidan on October 11 to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The court on Monday formally received the medical reports of six of the seven protesters examined at Goa Medical College and Hospital immediately following their release from detention the same day.
The activists — Afreen Shaikh, Jack Sukhija, Bupesh Bind, Aditya Parulekar, Listan Noronha, Shamino Fernandes, and Milind Rane — were taken into custody after police halted their planned demonstration at Azad Maidan.
The protest was part of a wider campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The organisers had sought permission for the gathering on October 7, but the district administration rejected the request on October 9, citing a police report.
Following the detention, petitions were moved before the High Court seeking the protesters’ immediate release, prompting a special late-night sitting on October 11.
The bench ordered the immediate release of the protesters, observing that their detention appeared unauthorised in the absence of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The court also directed the executive magistrate and police inspectors from Panaji and Pernem to file affidavits explaining the circumstances surrounding the detention.
The officials subsequently filed their affidavits, defending the police action and stating that it was necessary to avoid a law-and-order situation.
According to the police affidavits, six detainees were transported to Pernem police station and one to Panaji police station. Denying allegations of mistreatment, police maintained that medical assistance was offered and noted that one detainee sustained minor injuries after falling while advancing toward the protest stage.
(PTI News)
