Delhi HC rejects PIL for monitoring Red Fort blast trial as premature

The Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL for a court-monitored committee to oversee the Red Fort blast trial, calling it premature as proceedings haven't started. The bench saw no basis for intervention, leading the petitioner to withdraw the plea.

Court Finds Plea for Trial Monitoring 'Premature'

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a PIL that sought the formation of a court-supervised committee to oversee every stage of the trial in the Red Fort blast case. The plea also asked for the proceedings to be conducted on a day-to-day basis, with monthly progress reports submitted to a judicial body.

A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela found the petition premature, noting that the trial itself had not yet begun. The judges remarked that such monitoring could not be ordered when the proceedings had not even commenced. Expressing strong reservations, the bench questioned the very premise of the plea: "The trial hasn't even started, and you want us to monitor its conduct? Monitoring becomes relevant when matters are pending for years, not before a trial begins." The bench also added that no violation of any fundamental right had been demonstrated by the petitioner to justify court intervention through a PIL.

Petitioner's Argument for Court Intervention

The Court, however, found no basis for such extraordinary intervention before the trial even begins, leading to the withdrawal of the petition. The petitioner's counsel argued that the Court's involvement would reassure victims' families, emphasising that earlier terror cases had dragged on for decades, and the previous Red Fort terror trial had also taken several years to conclude.

Centre's Response and Case Transfer to NIA

Representing the Central Government, ASG Chetan Sharma stated that the PIL was misconceived, noting that the investigation is no longer with the Delhi Police and has been transferred to the NIA. The trial, he said, will be governed under the UAPA framework.

Plea Withdrawn After Court's Firm Stance

With the Bench making it clear that it would not pass any directions at this stage, the petitioner chose to withdraw the plea.

Filed by former MLA Pankaj Pushkar, the PIL had called for a court-monitored mechanism to supervise all steps of the trial and ensure its completion within six months. It stressed that the Red Fort blast was an attack on a symbol of national sovereignty and argued that victims' families continue to live without answers deprived of the "right to truth", which the plea described as part of the right to dignity under Article 21. (ANI)

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