Acting on a complaint that lawyers were not permitted to meet persons who were detained by police in the wake of anti-CAA protests at Delhi, the Chief Metrapolitan Magistrate (Central Delhi) passed an order on Friday night directing the Daryagang Station House Officer to allow the detainees to meet their lawyers in terms of Section 41 D of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

It was also brought to the attention of the Magistrate that several detainees were minors, who cannot detained in police station as per the law.

Noting that the exact number of minors who were under alleged detention was not available, the CMM Arul Verma stated :

"it is suffice to say if there be any minor, or a child who is allegedly in conflict with law, he or she ought not to be detained in the first instance itself. Detention of minor in a police station is a flagrant violation of law".

The CMM then proceeded to order that if there are any minors, they should be dealt with as per the provisions under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 and the rules made thereunder. As per this law, minors cannot be detained in a police station.

The complaint was brought to the CMM by Kriti Awasthi on behalf of "Lawyers and Detainees" along with her advocates Aditya S Pujari and Viren Bansal.

The CMM has also ordered the police to provide medical aid to the detainees who are in injured condition.





Detention of Minors in police station is flagrant violation of Law; CMM#DaryaganjProtest

[Read Order ] pic.twitter.com/26stvWwQBy — Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) December 20, 2019

As per a late night update, the minors detained at Daryaganj Police Station were released following the CMM's order.





Update #DaryaganjProtest: Lawyers are being allowed inside. Minors have been released; a list of all detainees has been released. Any person above the age of 18 will be detained for a while. Multiple lawyers have left for Jafarabad, Seemapuri and Mustafabad PS. @LiveLawIndia — Radhika Roy (@royradhika7) December 20, 2019

There are reports that people are detained at Seemapuri police station, where lawyers are being prevented from meeting the detainees.