Porvorim: The Bombay High Court at Goa on Monday took on record the medical reports of six of the seven Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protesters detained during a demonstration at Azad Maidan last week and adjourned the matter to November 3, allowing the petitioners to file their rejoinder to the affidavits submitted by police officials and an executive magistrate.
A division bench of Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar is hearing habeas corpus petitions challenging the detention of the protesters, who were taken into custody during a demonstration on October 11 demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
On Monday afternoon, the court took on record the medical reports of six of the seven protesters who were examined at Goa Medical College and Hospital on October 11, shortly after their release from detention.
The seven protesters — Afreen Shaikh, Jack Sukhija, Bupesh Bind, Aditya Parulekar, Listan Noronha, Shamino Fernandes and Milind Rane — were detained after police prevented the CJP-affiliated group from holding its 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 filed before the High Court seeking the protesters’ immediate release. The Bench held a special sitting on the night of October 11 and ordered their release, observing that, in the absence of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), their detention might not have been authorised.
The court also directed the police inspectors of Panaji and Pernem police stations, along with the executive magistrate concerned, to file affidavits explaining the circumstances that led to the detention.
The officials subsequently filed their affidavits, defending the police action on the grounds of anticipated law-and-order problems.
The Panaji police inspector stated that permission for the protest had been denied and that preventive action was taken in view of the group’s alleged past conduct. The affidavit also referred to earlier demonstrations and alleged violations of conditions imposed by the authorities.
According to the police affidavits, six of the detainees were taken to Pernem police station, while one was taken to Panaji police station. The police denied mistreatment and claimed that the protesters had been offered medical assistance, with one detainee sustaining an injury after falling while moving towards the protest platform.
