Neha Bora Tells Delhi HC She Had No Role In CJP’s Protest Call On October 16

Delhi High Court heard Bora’s plea against a police notice asking her to furnish a ₹10,000 bond.

Student Leader Denies Link To CJP Protest

All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora told the Delhi High Court on Thursday that she had nothing to do with a separate protest call given by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on October 16 at Central Park.

The court was hearing her petition against a Delhi Police notice. The notice had asked her to furnish a personal bond of ₹10,000.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan appeared for Bora in court. He called her brief detention and the police notice “completely illegal.” He also told the court she had no connection to the CJP’s protest call at Connaught Place.

“She is not involved with the CP Central Park call, and she was dealing with her own call at Mandi House,” the advocate told the high court on Thursday.

A New Delhi district police officer had directed Bora to appear before him on Monday. He had asked her to execute the bond. This officer was designated as the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM).

The order came on October 17. That was the same day Bora was released. She had been detained a day earlier, on Friday.

Why Police Wanted The Bond

The notice listed three reasons for seeking the bond from Bora. It cited alleged sloganeering at Mandi House on October 16. It also mentioned repeated protests near Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The third ground was that she allegedly encouraged people to join a protest at Connaught Place on the same day.

Advocate Abhik Chimni filed Bora’s petition on her behalf. The plea stated the notice was unclear and factually wrong. It further said the notice violated Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

The petition also pointed out that the notice lacked supporting material. It did not explain the likelihood of any breach of peace. Nor did it mention the specific period, event or occasion linked to this apprehended breach.

What Happened On October 16

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke had announced a flag march for Friday evening. This followed the arrest of the party’s co-convenors, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Both had been held for unfurling the national flag at Jantar Mantar on the previous Tuesday. The two were sent to five days of judicial custody.

Bora started her own flag march with AISA activists at Mandi House. This began at 5:15 pm. She was detained from the same spot.

A New Delhi district police officer, acting as SEM, later directed her to appear on Monday. She was told to execute a personal bond of ₹10,000 along with one surety. This order was passed on October 17, the day she was freed after Friday’s detention during the flag march.

Bora was released at 6 am on Saturday. She had been held for about 12 hours. She later criticised the police action. She questioned the legal grounds for detaining protesters overnight.