Full Breakdown
Delhi High Court Questions Police Confinement of Civil-Rights Activist Nadeem Khan
By Drooid · · How we work
Alleged Police Confinement on September 29
Civil-rights activist Mohammad Wasiq Nadeem Khan – national secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) – filed a petition alleging that Delhi Police officers attached to the Shaheen Bagh police station entered his residence-cum-office at the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind headquarters in Abul Fazal Enclave on September 29. According to Khan’s counsel, Shahrukh Alam, two officers remained on the premises from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., restricting his movement without a written notice, arrest memo, or magistrate’s approval. Khan says the confinement was meant to stop his participation in a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar that day.
Background to the Jantar Mantar Protest
The protest, organized by APCR and other civil-society groups, aimed to highlight attacks on places of worship and the exclusion of citizens through the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of the electoral roll. An application for permission was submitted on September 19 but was denied.
Court Proceedings and Judicial Queries
On October 12, 2026, Acting Chief Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued notice to the Delhi Police and asked for a status report on Khan’s petition. The bench asked how police could lawfully enter a private dwelling and noted that any restriction on liberty must be justified by legal authority. Police counsel claimed Khan travelled to Kolkata after the alleged confinement and that officers had only “made inquiries” based on information that he might attend the protest.
Official Positions
- Delhi Police (counsel) – Maintains that no detention occurred; officers merely queried Khan after learning he might defy the denial of permission.
- Khan’s counsel (Shahrukh Alam) – Describes the day-long presence of officers as “harassment and arbitrary behaviour,” cites a photograph of police at the premises, and references Supreme Court directions on free movement.
- Supreme Court (prior directions) – Stipulated that peaceful protesters cannot be detained except under established legal procedure and ordered the removal of prohibitory notices around court complexes.
Related Detentions During the Protest Wave
On the day of the Jantar Mantar protest, around 700 people were detained, and as many as 7,000 were held as part of a broader clamp-down that included internet shutdowns near the protest site, cancellation of long-distance trains, and closure of 45 Metro stations.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on whether Khan was formally arrested. No written order or arrest memo has been produced, and the court has yet to receive the police’s detailed response.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There is no written communication that you should not travel, there is no written communication about house arrest. Based on a call, you’re saying we should pass an order. We will take it up on Monday,” — ACJ Sambre.
What’s Next
The Delhi High Court has directed the police to file a status report within two weeks and has scheduled further consideration for October 12, 2026. The decision will address whether the alleged confinement violates Articles 19(1)(a), 19(1)(b), 14 and 21 of the Constitution and whether the prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita should be quashed.