'Women cops molested': Centre defends heavy security measures at Rahul Gandhi-led Delhi protests

The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that "women police personnel had been molested, attacked and injured" at the recent Rahul Gandhi-led INDIA bloc protests in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, made these comments in defence of protective measures by law enforcement agencies ahead of anti-CEC protests in the national capital on October 10.

"While protecting the rights of protesters is our responsibility, we also have a responsibility towards the rest of the population," he said in the apex court, noting that there was video evidence of what the women cops had faced at the protests.

"Keeping all these circumstances in mind, the earlier protest was unlawful because permission had not been granted for its continuation. The present protest is also not permitted," he added, as per a Bar and Bench thread on X.

This has brought the Lok Sabha Opposition leader under the lens again, after he had been accused by the BJP of behaving “inappropriately” with a woman police officer during the Thursday protest.

“How can any decent individual, let alone a member of parliament or a leader of the opposition, behave in such an inappropriate manner with a woman, and that too, a female police personnel?” questioned BJP national spokesperson C.R. Kesavan.

SG Tushar's comments come amid a larger case in which the Supreme Court had questioned the extent of proposed blanket restrictions on Metro and railway services in the capital, ahead of the October 10 protest.

Hearing the case was a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, who had warned that the proposed closure of 57 metro stations and the cancellation of long-distance trains could leave commuters without transport and potentially bring the city to a halt.

"Everybody does not have access to private transport. People depend on public transport. This cannot be done,” CJI Kant had said during the hearing, opposing such blanket bans, and saying that restrictions imposed should be proportionate to the situation.

The court had also asked the Union government to consider identifying an alternative venue in Delhi for peaceful and lawful protests, equipped with the necessary facilities and amenities.