India / HC notice to WhatsApp, Google on plea seeking to preserve JNU violence data

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of Google, WhatsApp and Apple on a plea by three teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who had moved court on Friday seeking directions to the city police, and the three internet companies to preserve all the relevant material, data, information and evidence related to the violence that took place at the university campus on January 5.

Justice Brijesh Sethi issued notice to the intermediaries including Apple after the counsels for the other side were not present.

Appearing for the Delhi Police, lawyer Rahul Mehra informed the court that letters have already been written to the university authorities to preserve the CCTV footage.

He also told the court that information with regards to two WhatsApp group has also been sought from the Facebook-owned company.

The plea has been filed by Ameet Parameswaran, professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Atul Sood, professor at Centre for Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, and Shukla Vinayak Sawant, a Professor at School of Arts and Aesthetics. All of them were injured in the violence.

The petition filed through advocate Abhik Chimni said the JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) had assembled for a peaceful assembly at the T-Point of Sabarmati hostel in the JNU campus at 4 pm on January 5 where even the three professors were present.

When the meeting concluded, the teachers were informed that a mob of outsiders, some with masks, carrying rods, lathis and other weapons, were seen on the campus around Periyar Hostel. The plea said the attacks were “premeditated” and “coordinated”, planning for which had been done on various WhatsApp groups.

The petition has said that after the violence, highly disturbing videos and screenshots emerged across media and social media, in particular on WhatsApp, that further point to the premeditated nature and conspiratorial nature of the attack.

“It is submitted that several persons appear to have used the WhatsApp platform to create different WhatsApp groups with the purpose of inciting hate and violence against the teachers, staff, and students of JNU...,” the petition read, adding the relevant data shared on WhatsApp will act as an important evidence .

The plea said they had sent representations to Delhi Police and Delhi government for preserving the footage and other relevant evidence under the Information Technology Act but no response was obtained.

It sought that directions be issued to the Delhi government and city police to retrieve all CCTV footage on JNU campus of January 5.