The Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested two law students for allegedly assaulting a public servant and disrupting proceedings inside the Supreme Court last week, during which one of the accused allegedly used abusive language against the Chief Justice and created disorder inside the courtroom.
A senior police officer identified the accused as Prabal Pratap, 24, a resident of Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh and a third-year law student, and Chander Bhan, 23, a resident of Rae Bareli and a second-year law student.
The officer said the FIR was registered on the complaint of Supreme Court security staff in connection with the incident that took place on July 10 inside Court No. 13 during the hearing of a Special Leave Petition titled ‘Prabal Pratap Singh & Another vs State of Uttar Pradesh through Commissioner’.
“During the judicial proceedings, accused Prabal Pratap, while appearing as a petitioner-in-person, intentionally disrupted the court proceedings by using abusive and unparliamentary language, throwing papers inside the courtroom and creating disorder,” the officer said.
Police said that when security personnel attempted to maintain decorum and restrain him, “the accused used force on the complainant, thereby obstructing him in the discharge of his official duties”.
Both accused were produced before judicial magistrate first class Ravi at the Patiala House Court on Monday, which granted police two days’ custody.
The FIR was registered at Tilak Marg Police Station under Sections 132 (assault or criminal force on a public servant), 221 (obstructing a public servant in discharge of public functions), 224 (threat of injury to a public servant) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The officer said both accused were medically examined at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) after their arrest, and no immediate psychiatric intervention was found to be necessary.
“During investigation, pamphlets containing objectionable words have been recovered from the possession of the accused persons,” the officer said.
The incident occurred last Friday when Prabal Pratap appeared before a Supreme Court bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe in a petition challenging an Allahabad High Court order that had dismissed his plea against the conversion of his application under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) into a private complaint.
During the hearing, Pratap repeatedly referred to the judges as “judicial servants” and claimed that he was “sovereign”.
He was purportedly heard telling the bench, “Mister judicial servant, I order you to order the registration of an FIR against ACP Vikas Nagar, Lucknow.”
Justice Viswanathan, taken aback, responded, “You are ordering us?’
The situation escalated after Pratap allegedly threw case papers into the air and used abusive language while referring to the chief justice. He was subsequently escorted out of the courtroom by security personnel.
The bench, however, declined to initiate contempt proceedings against the petitioner.
“We, considering the condition of the petitioner, do not propose to take any action against him,” the bench observed.
On the merits of the case, the bench found no reason to interfere with the Allahabad high court’s order.
“The special leave petition is accordingly dismissed. All pending applications for permission to appear and argue in person and permission to file petition(s) shall also stand disposed of,” the bench said.
