NEW DELHI: The Delhi Lieutenant Governor has extended the Delhi Police’s preventive detention powers under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) till October 18, according to an official notification.The police, however, clarified that the move is a routine administrative exercise and not linked to the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests.The clarification came after Lt Governor V K Saxena extended the Delhi Police’s power of preventive detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) till October 18, according to an official notification.In a statement, Delhi Police said the extension was a “routine extension” of powers under the NSA and had been “interpreted out of context” in certain media reports claiming that it was meant to curb the CJP-led protest.The CJP has been protesting at Jantar Mantar since June 20 over the alleged NEET paper leak and demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.On Monday, tens of thousands of protesters attempted to march towards Parliament as part of the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ protest.The march turned violent, leaving scores of protesters and police personnel injured.According to a notification issued on July 15 by the Delhi government’s home department, the Delhi Police commissioner has been granted powers of preventive detention under Sub-Section (2) of Section 3 of the NSA.The notification said the powers will remain in force till October 18.The NSA empowers the Centre and state governments to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India”.Preventive detention under the Act can range from three months to 12 months, though it may be revoked earlier.Such detention can be withdrawn by the local administration and must subsequently be ratified by a board headed by a former high court judge.Since it is preventive detention and not an arrest, there is no legal requirement to produce the detainee before a court.In its statement, Delhi Police said, “… it is clarified that the said order is a routine extension/renewal of powers under the NSA, which is issued every three months.”It added that the present renewal had been approved on July 7 for the period between July 19 and October 18, before the CJP protests began.“It is further clarified that no specific request was made in the present context. The renewal is a routine administrative exercise and has been interpreted out of context by certain media reports,” the statement said.A Delhi government official also said the power of detention under the NSA has been routinely extended every quarter and has been delegated to the Delhi Police since the 1980s.Reacting to the extension, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das criticised the move and said the stringent law should instead be used against those responsible for violence against peaceful demonstrators.“NSA should be invoked against police personnel for violence against peaceful protesters,” Das said.(With PTI inputs)
