Kapil Sibal said he has 'no hope' from courts amid protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar. He stated only the Supreme Court can save the Constitution and questioned restrictive orders for the Jantar Mantar protest, alleging they protect the administration.
Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Saturday said he has "no hope" of getting relief from the courts amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over electoral irregularities. Adressing a press conference, Sibal maintained that the Supreme Court is the only institution that can save the Constitution. "I don't know which direction this country is heading. I don't know if we will ever get relief from the court. If anyone can save the Constitution, it is the Supreme Court. We are tired of going to the courts. I don't see any benefit in going; I have no hope," Sibal said.
Sibal Questions Protest Curbs
Questioning the restrictive orders imposed due to the Jantar Mantar protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Sibal said such provisions are meant to prevent untoward incidents and threats to human life, such as when police have information that violence is likely. "Announcements had been made days in advance that people would reach Jantar Mantar on October 10th to stage a protest. Who exactly was under threat? I do not know," he said. "The threat is not to society, but to the administration. Section 163 is not invoked to address threats to them," he added.
Sibal claimed that those who arrive are "arrested", alleging that it is often unclear under which section. "People are taken to undisclosed locations, and even their families are kept in the dark," he alleged.
He claimed that the ruling party feels that it is under threat, stating that, "People would come from all over India and raise slogans, even if they were peaceful slogans, but the entire nation would see that the public has gathered here. That would increase the threat level; Gyanesh ji would have to resign, and who knows who else might have to step down after that," Sibal said. "So, all of this is happening not just for Gyanesh ji's safety, but for their own safety as well."
'What is happening to my country?': Sibal in SC
Sibal referred to the detention of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activists Abhijeet Dipke and Ashutosh Ranka from an aircraft, asking whether they were detained simply because they wanted to protest peacefully. Addressing the government, he asked, "What are you doing, and why are you doing this? Is Gyanesh Kumar so dear to you? What is the threat to you?"
This comes after the Supreme Court on Friday heard an urgent mention challenging restrictions imposed in Delhi ahead of the October 10 protest called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal asking the apex court, “What is happening to my country?”
Sibal, appearing for CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby, flagged the cancellation of trains to Delhi, closure of metro stations, internet curbs and restrictions on hotel bookings. “What is happening to my country?” he asked, urging the court to take up the matter urgently.
Protesters Detained Across Delhi
Meanwhile, around 1,000 protesters have been detained across the national capital so far while attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar for a CJP-led protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Delhi Police sources said on Saturday. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)