Hans News Service New Delhi

TheDelhi High Court Wednesday said it will hear on October 22 All India Students’ Association (AISA) President Neha Bora’s plea against a Delhi Police notice asking her to execute a “peace” bond before a Special Executive Magistrate (SEM).

Bora, who has been at the forefront of protests against the alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has sought quashing of the notice and directions to the police not to take any coercive action against her.

Justice Subramonium Prasad deferred hearing on the plea at the request of Bora’s counsel. The case was listed after the student leader sought an urgent hearing in the high court, which is shut this week for Dussehra vacation.

The notice, issued on October 17 under Section 126 Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), asked the student leader to appear before the SEM on October 19 and show cause why she should not execute a personal bond of Rs 10,000 with one surety “for keeping peace for a period of enquiry.” Section 126 empowers the SEM to enforce such bond signing if there is credible information that a person is likely to breach peace, disturb public tranquillity, or commit a wrongful act that may cause disturbance. Bora was taken into preventive detention on October 16 when she was on her way to join the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march. She was released on October 17.

In her petition, settled by lawyer Abhik Chimni, Bora said that the police notice is vague, factually incorrect, and contains no material or information to substantiate the “likelihood” of breach of peace. It does not disclose a “period, occasion or event in relation to which breach is apprehended”, the plea argued, and asserted that the proceedings are a “colourable exercise of preventive powers to suppress peaceful dissent, in violation of Articles 19(1)(a), 19(1)(b) and 21 of the Constitution.”