'Pivotal In Fueling Protest To Aggressive Level': Delhi Court Convicts Alka Lamba For Assault During 2024 Women's Reservation Bill Protest

A Delhi Court on Monday (May 25) convicted Congress leader and former MLA Alka Lamba for assaulting police personnel during a protest at Jantar Mantar in 2024 on the issue of Women's Reservation, observing that she played a pivotal role in "organizing, leading and fueling the protest to aggressive levels". ACJM Ashwami Panwar, Rouse Avenue Courts examined the video and documentary evidence of the incident and noted that the video clearly showed that the accused was amongst the first few to climb these barricades and she continued to pose for the news channels and cameras on the opposite side of the first barricades. The court said that Lamba could be seen clearly seen to gesture protesters to cover the entire length of the barricades and they all can be seen to push the barricades."These barricades could be seen held by women officials from the opposite side. The accused can clearly be seen to be the first to jump the barricade onto the human chain of women police officials, other protesters followed the suit, and they all pushed the police officials and ran towards the second layer of barricades. The following videos show that, when the police officials stopped the protesters before the second layers of barricades, the accused with other protesters lied on the asphalt road. All these acts of the accused and other protesters were in contravention of constant appeal of the senior police officials made on the loud hailers at the protest site. The accused can then be seen gesturing the protesters to engage police officials at the second barricades, while she, with other protesters can be seen to jump the second layer of barricades which opened right onto the main Tolstoy Road," the court noted. The order noted that the accused "played a pivotal role in leading the protesters and continued with her gestures in guiding every move of the protesters". The court noted that Lamba had pleaded not guilty and during the trial in her Section 313 CrPC statement she had admitted that her presence at the place of incident, however defended that the call for gherao of Parliament was symbolic call and at no point any of the protesters intentionally wanted to disrupt the ongoing parliamentary proceedings that day. She had also stated, the court noted, that neither she nor any of the protesters crossed the exempted area at Jantar Mantar and blocked any public road and that there was no hindrance or blockage of the public freeway to have caused annoyance to public. She further stated that there was no demarcation of exempted area at Jantar Mantar which could be identified by the protesters and none of the protesters had crossed the second barricade. She also stated that protesters symbolically lied down on the area between the two barricades and that neither she nor any other protester pushed any police official intentionally and also, she stated that pushing was done by the police officials. "From the above statement of the accused, her presence at the place of protest has not been denied. She even admits being in the area beyond first layer of barricade and to have lied on the road in the area between first and second layer of barricade. This part of the statement of accused finds corroboration in pen drive Ex.P1. The said exhibit has not been challenged for want of proof nor any part of the video has been disputed to be doctored or morphed. The videos as explained above, are categorically contradictory to the defence of the accused and brings home the allegations of the prosecution," the court said. The court said that the Delhi police had put in place sufficient barricade to demarcate the protest area. It said that Lamba was announced as National President and primary leader to lead the protest in question, even the number of posters at the venue depict her as the center figure leading the protest.Thus, the court said, it was the duty of the organizers as well as the accused to know exactly the timing and area of protest and even adhere to said timing and area. The undertakings given by the organizers shows number of volunteers to be 40 and 50, respectively, and none of the videos in pen drive shows any of the volunteers guiding the protesters to adhere to timings and area of protest, the court said. "The accused can be seen repeatedly gesturing the other protesters to cover the barricade, jump the same and even led them by jumping off the first barricade first and she was the first one to jump the second barricade too. Between these two events, she led the protesters to lie on the asphalt road with other protesters, not once but twice and she could even be seen in the video gesturing the protesters to cover more area to lie down...The announcement from senior police officials could also be heard in the background, that such act of lying on the road could hurt persons and protesters were even directed to vacate the area within 10 minutes. No such...

'Pivotal In Fueling Protest To Aggressive Level': Delhi Court Convicts Alka Lamba For Assault During 2024 Women's Reservation Bill Protest

Malavika Prasad

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'Pivotal In Fueling Protest To Aggressive Level': Delhi Court Convicts Alka Lamba For Assault During 2024 Women's Reservation Bill Protest

Malavika Prasad

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INR 1099+GST

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Malavika Prasad

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