New Delhi: Noting that “things have cooled down”, Delhi High Court Monday advised a petitioner alleging intrusive surveillance of protesters at Jantar Mantar to file a general plea seeking framing of guidelines in this regard.“You better file a petition where we can examine the provisions. This petition, as we understood, was confined to a particular protest. We are permitting you to file a petition which is general in nature. Things have cooled down. Let them cool down further,” a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia told the counsel.The PIL was filed by former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, whose lawyer, however, maintained that the prayers sought in the petition were “still alive”, as it concerned surveillance of protesters in the absence of a legal framework.“Why are you pressing it now? In a subsequent petition, you can make a prayer for guidelines,” the court responded, but the senior counsel for the petitioner argued that certain prayers, such as a direction to the authorities to permanently destroy all personal data collected through the surveillance, need to be examined.The Centre contended that the PIL was infructuous. HC said it will hear the matter on Tuesday.Govt had earlier said that video-recording of the protest against the NEET paper leak was in “legitimate state interest” and any objection to it was ironic.In a connected development, legal services organisation Software Freedom Law Centre India Monday withdrew its PIL against the suspension of mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi, with services restored following the withdrawal of CJP’s stir.“The counsel for the petitioner says he has instructions to withdraw the petition. The petition is dismissed as withdrawn,” HC said, allowing the same.The plea sought quashing of orders issued by the Union home ministry on July 17, 20, 22 and 23 to shut down mobile internet services in parts of central Delhi.
