Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Delhi High Court Says Police Could Not Remain Silent Spectators
The Delhi High Court discussed police action during violence at Jamia.
It said the gathering was peaceful at first and stayed inside the university.
Police did not enter the campus at that early stage.
The situation outside and around the university later became worse.
The crowd then moved onto the campus.
The court said police intervention should be judged in light of the law-and-order situation at that time.
It also said police cannot simply watch when such a situation develops.
The Delhi High Court said police cannot remain silent spectators during a deteriorating law-and-order situation.
The court said the assembly was initially peaceful and confined to Jamia’s campus.
Police entered the university only after conditions outside and around it worsened, the judgment said.
The court said the crowd had moved onto the campus by the time police intervened.
Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain said police action must be viewed in the situation prevailing at that time.
- Who
- The Delhi High Court, including Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain, and the police.
- What
- The court described the circumstances of police intervention during violence at Jamia.
- Where
- Jamia university and the area around it in Delhi.
- Why
- The court said police intervention must be considered in the context of the worsening law-and-order situation.
Police Intervention
Limits on Intervention
Response to worsening conditions
Police Intervention
The court said police cannot remain silent spectators and that their intervention must be viewed against the deteriorating law-and-order situation.
Limits on Intervention
The court noted that the assembly was initially peaceful and confined to campus, and police did not enter at that stage.
- Court
- Delhi High Court
- Judges
- Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain
- Initial assembly
- Described by the court as peaceful and confined to the campus
- Police entry
- The court said police entered after conditions outside and around the university worsened
- Basis for assessing intervention
- The law-and-order situation prevailing at the time