While dealing with a PIL concerning the illegal questioning of minor students of Shaheen Education Society in Bidar, the Karnataka High Court today asked whether the Investigating Officer who did the questioning was in civil clothes or police uniform.
The Division Bench of Chief justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Ashok S Kinagi asked,
"Was the Investigating Officer in civil clothes? The photographs submitted by petitioners show otherwise..."
Responding to this, Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi said that the photographs would have to be verified, and that the state wasn't sure if the photographs were "doctored".
The High Court went on to direct,
"Give respondents coloured copies of the photos in which officers are seen in uniform while questioning children."
The petitioners also submitted additional documents, including letters by parents of students who were questioned/interrogated. These letters state that the children of Shaheen School were interrogated without obtaining their consent.
On this point, the AG Navadgi said that the parents of the students were pressurized to write such letters.
In its order, the High Court further directed the Investigating Officer to file an affidavit regarding the photographs produced by the petitioner. These photos show that the policemen were in uniform while counselling was conducted at the school on January 28, and March 3 and 4.
This affidavit is to be filed within one week. The matter is listed for March 26, for orders.
The High Court had recently issued notice in the PIL, but had refused to pass interim orders, stating that the interrogation of students cannot be stopped altogether.
While hearing the PIL, the High Court had also questioned whether the police was sufficiently trained to interrogate the students. To this, the state had replied that the students were merely counselled, and not interrogated.
Earlier this year, a complaint was filed by a member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) alleging that a play staged by classes 4, 5 and 6 students of Shaheen Schoo lon the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) contained dialogue that insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Subsequently, the State Police authorities had filed an FIR against the management of the school. The main allegation against the school administration was that it facilitated the spreading of false information about the newly passed CAA, spread negative opinions about the Parliament's laws among students, and further contributed to communal tension.
The Headmistress and a mother of a student were subsequently arrested. They were later enlarged on bail, while the school management also successfully obtained anticipatory bail from the district court in Bidar.
