By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The arbitrary detention of two social activists on the eve of the visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Mumbai in July now may cost the city police a bit of their free use of detention powers as the Bombay High Court has issued notice to the police seeking clarification.
Activists Feroze Mithiborewala (41) of Awami Bharat, Aslam Ghazi (57) of Jamaat-e-Islam Hind and Kishore Jagtap were detained by the Mumbai police apprehending some offence during the July 17 visit by Hillary Clinton. The police thought these activists might pose some embarrassment to the VIP visitor, and so they were kept in the lockup for full 20 hours. Their detention hit headlines in the media.
Thanks to their plea, the detention powers of the Mumbai police are now under the High Court scanner. The two-judge bench headed by Justice Bilal Nazki has sought clarification from the police regarding the reasons that prompted them to arrest the activists. The bench has snubbed the police for the detention of the duo.
Talking to TwoCircles.net Ghazi said the bench has observed that the IPC Section 151 requires some explanations so that the police highhandedness could be curbed.
Given the mood of the court, Ghazi hopes some restrictions on the detention powers of the police will be in place soon.