The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday pulled up the state police over the alleged detention of Uttarakhand Parivartan Party leader Prabhat Dhyani while he was travelling to Delhi to participate in the Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march, questioning the legal basis of the action and describing it as “gunda gardi”.
Hearing a habeas corpus petition alleging that Dhyani was illegally detained at Rishikesh railway station, the court questioned how the Uttarakhand Police could prevent someone from travelling to Delhi merely because prohibitory orders were in force there.
“An offence under Section 144, if any, would be committed there (Delhi). What jurisdiction did you have here (Uttarakhand)? This is gunda gardi,” the bench orally observed.
The court further said Dhyani had the constitutional right to travel anywhere in the country and questioned the police on what cognisable offence or lawful direction justified his detention. It observed that if he intended to participate in the march in Delhi, it was for the Delhi Police to deal with the situation.
The bench also criticised the conduct of the police, observing that law enforcement was expected to protect the constitutional rights of citizens rather than the image of the government, and described the manner in which the police had acted as “absurd”.
The observations came a day after the CJP’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march over alleged NEET-UG irregularities and demands for wider education reforms triggered clashes in the national capital.
Police used barricades, lathicharge and tear gas to stop protesters marching towards Parliament, with Delhi Police claiming that nearly 180 people, including police and security personnel, were injured in the violence.
Earlier in the day, a CJP delegation met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and submitted a memorandum demanding the release of activist Sonam Wangchuk, the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide following the paper leak.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke later claimed that more than 150 protesters were undergoing treatment in hospitals. While asserting that the two-month-old outfit would continue its campaign seeking Pradhan’s resignation, he said the party would not organise another march to Parliament.
– Ends
Published By:
Aprameya Rao
Published On:
Jul 21, 2026 17:54 IST
