The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of activists Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha and eight others on a petition by the city police challenging a trial court order that had discharged them in a 2019 Jamia Nagar violence case, reported PTI.

On February 4, additional sessions judge of Saket court Arul Varma in his order had said that the Delhi Police roped in the activists as scapegoats and were unable to apprehend the actual perpetrators of the offence. The judge had also added that there was no prima facie evidence that the accused were part of the mob violence, had any weapons or were throwing stones.

The case pertains to violence that had erupted at the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on December 15, 2019, during student protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Delhi Police was accused of barging into the university campus and using excessive force to quell the demonstrations. The police had claimed their action was justified as the protestors had allegedly injured their personnel and set buses on fire.

At Monday’s hearing, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma issued notice on the revision petition filed by the Delhi Police and listed the case for hearing on March 16, reported Live Law.

The judge also refused to expunge the remarks made by the trail court about the Delhi Police, reported Bar and Bench. “Since further investigation will be carried out, observations made against the investigating agency will not affect either further investigation or trial of any accused,” the court added.

The other persons who have been discharged in the case are Mohammed Abuzar, Umair Ahmad, Mohammed Shoaib, Mahmood Anwar, Mohammed Qasim, Mohammed Bilal Nadeem, Shahzar Raza Khan and Chanda Yadav.