The Delhi High Court has dismissed All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora’s plea challenging a police notice requiring her to furnish a ₹10,000 personal bond to maintain peace during an inquiry. The October 23 ruling marks a setback for the student leader, who had argued that preventive legal powers were being used to suppress peaceful dissent.
The case stems from the events of October 16, when Bora was detained near Mandi House while participating in a protest. The demonstration came amid a wider controversy surrounding the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), founded by Abhijeet Dipke, and its call to unfurl the national flag at Central Park in Connaught Place.
CJP had announced its protest after its co-convenors, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were arrested following an earlier demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The party’s campaign sought the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Bora became a prominent figure in the unfolding confrontation after she led a separate flag march organised by the leftist student organisation AISA.
Bora maintained that she was not involved in CJP’s separate Central Park protest call and was conducting her own demonstration at Mandi House. Her lawyers argued that the notice was vague, unsupported by adequate material and an attempt to restrict constitutionally protected peaceful assembly.
The Delhi High Court, however, found sufficient material before the Special Executive Magistrate to initiate preventive proceedings. It noted that the material included police diary entries and a report relating to the incidents. The court dismissed Bora’s plea but directed authorities to provide her with the material relied upon and ensure that principles of natural justice were followed.
For CJP, the controversy has drawn further attention to its campaign. After all, the meme party has so far relied on support from the opposition, particularly the left, to draw crowds to its protests.
