Anti-CAA Protests: SC Asks Jamia, AMU Petitoners To Move HCs First

The court observed that it will be better if the aggrieved students move concerned High Courts falling under the jurisdiction of the respective incidents.

'The court cannot assume jurisdiction for whatever is happening across the country,' said SC. | Image: PTI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, asked all the petitioners raising allegations of police extremeties in the violence during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, and also the protests in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU),  to approach jurisdictional High Courts. The court observed that it will be better if the aggrieved students move concerned High Courts falling under the jurisdiction of the respective incidents. "Serious grievances have been raised by petitioners. We are sure that High Courts will look into matter after hearing both sides and appoint fact finding committee... Chief Justices of High Courts will respond adequately", said the Chief Justice. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the Centre submitted before the top court that not a single student has been arrested by police in the case connected with the agitation against Citizenship Amendment Act. The Court also did not accede to urgently list the matter related to the amended citizenship law concerned with damage of public properties, and said that the court cannot assume jurisdiction for whatever is happening across the country. Senior advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, contended before the apex court that, in the name of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, public properties, including trains and fire tenders were destroyed in West Bengal's Murshidabad. He mentioned the matter before the court for urgent hearing. "We are not a trial court. We cannot assume jurisdiction for whatever is happening all over the country. The situations may be different, facts and circumstances may be different," a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde told Chief Justice S A Bobde said that he should have moved the High Court first. The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act has triggered massive protests in the northeastern states. In the wake of police crackdown on students in Jamia Millia Islamia during the protest against the amended law, several universities have also staged protest in solidarity with the students. The law grants Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.