Republic Day violence: Supreme Court to hear pleas today

New Delhi, Feb 03: The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hear a batch of pleas related to Republic Day tractor rally violence in the national capital, including the one which has sought setting up of a commission headed by a retired apex court judge to inquire into the incident.

The tractor rally on January 26 that was to highlight the demands of farmer unions to repeal three new agri laws dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the national capital as thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with the police and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

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The petitions would be taken up for hearing by a bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

One of the pleas filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari has reportedly sought setting up of a three-member inquiry commission under the chairmanship of a former apex court judge and comprising of two retired high court judges for collecting and recording evidence and submit a report on the January 26 violence to the top court in a time-bound manner.

He also sought direction from the concerned authority to lodge FIRs against individuals responsible for the violence and causing dishonour of the National Flag on January 26.

In another petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, sought a direction to the concerned authority as well as the media not to declare farmers as "terrorists" without any evidence.

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Sharma has claimed in his plea that there was a "planned conspiracy" to sabotage the protest by farmers' and they were allegedly declared as "terrorists" without any evidence.

He has sought directions to prohibit the propagation of "false allegations and actions declaring" farmers as terrorists without any evidence.

In his petition, Tiwari has said that farmers' protest against the three new agri laws is going on for over two months but it took a "violent turn" during the tractor parade.