The Supreme Court will hear a contempt plea on Sunday, October 11, alleging that Delhi Metro stations were kept closed on October 10 despite its October 9 order against a complete prohibition of Metro and train movement.
The order drew a line between regulating transport and prohibiting it. The bench observed that the notifications appeared to overreach, and that a total prohibition is different from regulation.
The plea says that the line was crossed: 45 stations were closed from 9 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday, according to an advisory cited in it.
The authorities had defended the measures as meant to maintain law and order, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court on October 9 that an alternative protest site would be considered.
The reports did not include the authorities’ response to the plea, so the Sunday hearing will bring the first answer.
It names Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other authorities as respondents.
It accuses the Delhi Metro, Delhi Police and the Union government of deliberate disregard of the court’s orders.
The plea relies on the order passed on Friday, October 9, by a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.
That order directed that there be no complete prohibition on the movement of Metro and train services into Delhi on October 10.
The bench observed that the notifications appeared to overreach, and that a total prohibition is different from regulation of transport.
The plea says that Metro stations in Delhi were kept closed despite that direction.
Authorities closed 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday until 6 pm on Saturday for security reasons, according to an advisory cited in the plea.
The plea seeks immediate revocation of blanket prohibitory orders against Metro and railway operations.
It also seeks a strictly regulated operating schedule with immediate public notice.
Supreme Court of India (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0