Petition filed in Delhi HC against proposed temporary jail

New Delhi [India], Feb 7 (ANI): Just ahead of Delhi Assembly election, a petition was moved in Delhi High Court on Friday against the requisition of Jangli Ram Pahalwan Stadium for setting up a temporary jail for CAA protestors on Election day in Delhi.
The petition seeks a direction to Principal Secretary Home or any other competent authority empowered in this behalf to recall the order of approval if approval already given for the requisition dated January 29, 2020.
The petition further states that setting up a mass detention centre especially during elections and even on the date of voting would adversely affect the conduct of free and fair elections. It also stated that the very establishment of a temporary jail for the detention of protestors is against the spirit of the Constitution of India under Article19 which guarantees the right to organise a peaceful protest.
The petitioner Jafar Ahsan Marmik in his plea also stated that the said requisition for setting up of temporary jail is arbitrary as it has no reasonable basis nor is it supported by the law and order scenario as cited in the letter dated January 29, 2020 as the protests have largely been peaceful and there is no apprehension of any breach of peace.
It also said that the setting up of the temporary jail would embolden the police to go arbitrary especially when there are elections going on in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Earlier, the Delhi Police on Thursday refuted reports that it has requested the state government to convert a stadium in Kanjhawala into a temporary prison.
On January 29, the Police department had written a letter to the state government for permission to set up a temporary jail, keeping in mind the protests scheduled for January 30 against the amended Citizenship Act.
However, no new request has been made to the state government. (ANI)