Delhi High Court hears multiple PILs on Jantar Mantar protests, declines NIA probe plea

The Delhi High Court addressed multiple Public Interest Litigations (PILs) concerning student protests at Jantar Mantar over alleged NEET paper leaks. The court declined pleas seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into a protest march, stating that such a decision rests with the Central government, not the judiciary. It emphasized that an FIR must precede any referral to central agencies like NIA or CBI. Separately, the court deferred consideration on a PIL challenging alleged police videography and facial recognition-based surveillance of protesters, hearing arguments on the right to privacy in public protests versus legitimate state interest in maintaining law and order. The court reminded petitioners about Supreme Court principles on mob violence and destruction of public property.