Delhi HC may hear JNU professors' petition today to preserve evidence
Delhi HC may hear JNU professors' petition today to preserve evidence
The Delhi High Court may hear the petitions of three Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professors to preserve the CCTV footage and other evidence related to the January 5 violence when masked goons entered the campus and attacked the students. The professors had sought to instruct WhatsApp Inc, Google Inc and Apple Inc to secure or collect back all the data related to WhatsApp groups 'Unity Against Left' and 'Friends of RSS' in the case. The data includes messages, photos, videos and members' phone numbers etc. Filed by JNU professors Amit Parameswaran, Atul Sood and Shukla Vinayak Sawant, the petition urged to give necessary directions to the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Delhi government. A demand has also been given to collect all CCTV footage of the attack on the JNU campus. The three professors moved the High Court amid several complaints filed with the Delhi Police. It may be noted that a total of 14 complaints have been filed in the matter till now. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Delhi Police on Saturday served a notice to at least nine students of the varsity, asking them to come in for questioning. The notice has been served to students who are suspects in the JNU violence incidents on campus. The Crime Branch had identified the nine faces on the basis of CCTV footage and circulated videos. Among these seven students belong to left student organisations and two belong to ABVP. 37 people from the 60-member WhatsApp group 'Unity Against Left' had also been identified by the Delhi Police. With 10 outsiders and 7 others, the total number of individuals that the cops currently suspect, in connection to JNU violence, is more than 53. The Crime Branch has also questioned wardens, 13 security guards and 5 other students of the university, the Delhi Police clarified, adding that the suspects will now be called in for interrogation. The Delhi Police on Friday said that misinformation related to the criminal cases filed in connection with last Sunday's JNU violence is being circulated, adding that an investigation is currently being conducted to look into the matter. The Delhi Police also released images belonging to the suspects, as and when they were identified via circulated footage.