Reports on Kanhaiya Kumar attack contradictory: Supreme Court

Three out of the four reports, submitted to Supreme Court over the repeated violence at Patiala House Court, last week, said JNUSU president leader Kanhaiya Kumar was not assaulted inside the court room but outside it, on February 17.

In three separate reports, the Delhi Police's counsel Ajit Sinha and Delhi high court registrar, however admitted repeated violence by the lawyers created a surcharged atmosphere in the court complex and also abuses were hurled at the apex court appointed six senior lawyers team which had inspected the premises.

The lawyers team had submitted fourth report in sealed cover to the bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar after giving a grim picture about the situation in the trial court complex during Kumar's remand. They said Kumar was boxed inside the court room by an unidentified person. The team comprised Kapil Sibal, Rajeev Dhavan, Dushyant Dave, Ajit Sinha, A D N Rao and Harin Raval.

On Monday, the Supreme Court after perusing the reports said there were conflicting views in them and "let all the parties examine all the reports" before any further hearing. It also ordered the reports to be shared by the parties in the case. The reports are likely to be made public once the court issues a formal order.

dna, which has access to the six-page report filed by Delhi High Court Registrar Vinod Goel, who was present in the trial court pursuant to the top court's order to regulate only authentic people inside the court room, said he was present since 1.10pm and the man in questioning for assaulting Kanhaiya was not inside Magistrate Lovleen's court (no 4) but was present in the adjacent court no 3.

According to the report, the man might have had trashed the accused before he was taken inside the court room. Goel had even asked the police to find out about the man and how he was allowed to come inside the complex despite the court order but he had not seen him beating Kanhaiya.

About the assault on the journalists inside the court on February 15, the administrative and supervising committee of Delhi high court headed by Chief Justice said acting on the representations given by the All India Lawyers Association and JNU teachers, a judicial panel headed by a retired high court judge who will be assisted by a judicial officer will examine the issue. The names of the judges are yet to be named.

The Delhi Police in its report also given a similar report defending the arrangements done to ensure safety of accused, his lawyers and others.

According to a source, the report also said Kanhaiya was not attacked inside the court room and the medical report also did not corroborate the allegation.

Meanwhile, the counsel for police senior advocate Ajit Sinha, who was also in the court appointed team, had submitted a separate report to court. dna has learnt that he had differed on the issue of assault on Kanhaiya inside the court room for which had refused to sign the report prepared by the panel.

As per Sinha's report, when the court appointed team had reached the court, the proceeding in the Magistrate court was over and the Kanhaiya and his lawyers waiting for the RML doctor to come there.

"When Kanhaiya was not beaten up in the presence of the team members. By the time the lawyers team reached the trial court, the proceeding was over," said a lawyer who has access to the report without revealing his identity.

Sinha, however, admitted the derogatory language used by the agitating lawyers in the court complex against the team members and the hostile atmosphere created by them.

A team member Dhavan had told the court earlier that "A gentleman, if he could be so referred, had entered the court and sat near Kanhaiya, who was sitting near the registrar general. He suddenly got up and boxed the accused before walking away. The registrar general repeatedly asked the police to arrest the person but they did not."