SC to hear pleas against violence during Tractor Parade on R-Day on Wednesday

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a bunch of pleas in connection with incidents of violence during the tractor rally on Republic Day.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A. S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian will take up the petitions.

One of the pleas filed has sought directions to the NIA to court-monitored investigation against anti-social elements, part of the tractor rally, who engaged in violence on the streets of the national capital on Republic Day.

The plea, filed through advocates Shashank Shekhar Jha and Manju Jetley Sharma, said the attack on the Red Fort and the national flag on Republic Day needs immediate attention. "The protestors cannot be allowed to put the government and people at ransom and undertake violence in the name of protest. The freedom of expression and protest cannot be absolute and must consider the rights of others," said the plea.

The petition also sought directions for constitution of a judicial commission headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a Special Investigation Team, which should be monitored by the top court.

Earlier, a petition was filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari urging the top court to issue directions to register FIR against persons or organisation responsible for dishonouring the national flag. "Unfortunately, the tractor march took a violent turn leaving injuries and destruction of public property. This incident also effected the daily life of the public. Internet services were interrupted as government ordered the operators to suspend the same," said the plea.

On the day of the incident, a Mumbai-based law student had also written to Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde to take suo moto cognisance in an incident at Red Fort. So far, nearly five pleas have been filed in the top court seeking action against people who indulged in violence on the Republic Day.

On Republic Day, protesting farmers swarmed into the Red Fort in the Capital during a 'tractor rally' on the Republic Day even as police tried to prevent them from driving towards central Delhi. The farmers barged into the 17th century monument, climbed up its ramparts and waved farmer union flags and banners and even hoisted a pennant.

Police and other security personnel deployed at the Red Fort were seen baton charging the protesters even as they were clearly outnumbered by the farmers. A few youths climbed up the flagpole on the ramparts of the fort and put up a saffron pennant with a religious symbol. Later, a few of them even climbed up further and fixed a farmer union flag near the spot where a bigger tricolour was aflutter.