4 hrs ago
Magistrate Suspended After Supreme Court Rebuke Over Student Protest Notice
A government magistrate sent a legal notice to a 20-year-old student named Akshat Tripathi.
The notice said he was encouraging other students to join a protest.
It asked him to provide a personal bond worth Rs 5 lakh.
Tripathi said he could not have provoked students because he had not attended the university for three months.
He said he was working at the Allahabad High Court during July.
The notice was withdrawn after the allegations were investigated.
The Supreme Court had already said that most cases linked to the July student protests should be closed.
The Chief Justice criticized the magistrate for issuing the notice despite that order.
The government later told the court that the magistrate had been suspended.
The Greater Noida executive magistrate who issued a notice to student Akshat Tripathi was suspended, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court.
The notice sought a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh after a police report alleged Tripathi was encouraging students to join a proposed Cockroach Janata Party protest.
The notice accused Tripathi of spreading misleading, anti-government statements and provoking students in a way that could disrupt public peace.
The notice was withdrawn the next day after the allegations were investigated, and Tripathi challenged it before the court.
The Supreme Court had ordered that protest-related FIRs from July 20 to 25 should not be pursued, except those involving people with criminal antecedents.
- Who
- The Greater Noida executive magistrate, student Akshat Tripathi, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.
- What
- A Greater Noida executive magistrate was suspended after issuing and later withdrawing a show-cause notice to a student over alleged involvement in a protest.
- Where
- The notice was issued in Greater Noida; the protests occurred at Jantar Mantar and other parts of the country, while the case was heard by the Supreme Court of India.
- When
- The suspension was reported on Thursday; the Chief Justice criticized the notice on Wednesday, and the relevant Supreme Court order was issued on September 1.
- Why
- The notice was issued after a police report alleged that Tripathi was provoking students, but the Supreme Court had directed that relevant protest cases not be pursued and that no coercive action be taken against students.
Authorities' Allegations
Student's and Court's Response
Basis for the notice
Authorities' Allegations
A police report alleged that Akshat Tripathi was encouraging students to join a proposed protest and spreading statements that could disrupt public peace.
Student's and Court's Response
Tripathi denied the allegation, saying he had not attended the university for three months and had been working at the Allahabad High Court in July. The Supreme Court also said no magistrate could violate its direction against coercive action on students.
Legal action during the protests
Authorities' Allegations
The notice was issued as part of action connected to the alleged protest campaign and initially sought a Rs 5 lakh personal bond.
Student's and Court's Response
The Supreme Court had ordered that relevant protest FIRs be treated as closed, except those involving people with criminal antecedents, and the notice was withdrawn after investigation.
Key facts
- Suspended official
- Greater Noida executive magistrate
- Student
- Akshat Tripathi, a 20-year-old law student at Gautam Buddh University
- Notice demand
- Personal bond of Rs 5 lakh
- Allegation
- Police said Tripathi was instigating students to participate in a proposed protest
- Notice outcome
- The notice was withdrawn the following day after investigation
- Supreme Court order
- FIRs linked to protests held from July 20 to July 25 were not to be pursued or investigated, except those involving people with criminal antecedents
- Government statement
- Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court on Thursday that the magistrate had been suspended
Quotes
Chief Justice Surya Kant
Chief justice of the Supreme Court and head of the bench hearing the matter.
“We made it clear that no coercive action should be taken against any student. No magistrate could violate that order.”
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“I was working at the Allahabad High Court in July. How could I go to the university and provoke people?”
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Sources
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