Shaheen Bagh child death: SC takes suo motu cognisance

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday has taken suo motu cognisance of a letter written by a national award winning Mumbai child Zen Gunratan Sadavarte drawing attention of the  court towards the death of a four-month old child at the Shaheen Bagh protest.

Apparently unhappy with some of the lawyers trying to resist court taking suo motu cognisance of the letter by Zen Gunratan Sadavarte, the bench comprising Chief Justice S.A.Bobde, Justice B.R.Gavai and Justice Surya Kant asked, “Can a 4-month-old child be taking part in such protests.”   

The Solicitor General Tushar Mehta questioned the justification for taking a four-month old child to the venue of protests.

In this matter also, the court issued notice to the Centre and Delhi government.

The court brushed aside the argument that under the United Nation’s convention which has been ratified by India, a child can participate in a protest.

The CJI Bobde admonished a lawyer who appeared for a mother of two children and told the court that children come home crying because they are called as Pakistanis and other names.

“We do not want people to use this platform to further create problems,” CJI Bobde said making it clear that court was not hearing matters relating to CAA, NRC or someone called Pakistani ...

Zen Gunratan Sadavarte, a class seven student from Mumbai, in her letter to Chief Justice Bobde had sought framing of the guidelines on taking the infants at the venue of protests by the parents.