Delhi police cannot use preventive laws to silence dissent

Can the Delhi Police detain you before you even reach a protest?

During the protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, protesters, journalists and lawyers were detained across New Delhi. Some were stopped at airports, outside their homes and on their way to the protest site. Journalists reported having their equipment seized, while lawyers trying to provide legal assistance were also stopped.

The Delhi Police has defended its actions as preventive measures to maintain law and order. But what does the law actually permit? Do Sections 172 and 163 of the BNSS give the police the power to stop people from protesting? And when does preventive policing become arbitrary detention and a violation of fundamental rights?

In this episode of Let Me Explain, Dhanya Rajendran examines the law, the allegations against Delhi Police and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

Like LME? Support the show: https://rzp.io/rzp/support-lme

Like our journalism? Become a subscriber: https://www.thenewsminute.com/subscription

Produced by Megha Mukundan, script by Pooja Prasanna, edit by Nikhil Sekhar, camera by Ajay R