New Delhi: All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora appeared before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court at Mandir Marg in New Delhi on Saturday after the Delhi High Court dismissed her plea challenging a police notice asking her to furnish a peace bond.
Bora has refused to sign the bond and questioned why she was being asked to give such an undertaking. “Whose peace am I being asked to keep?” she asked.
The notice, issued by Delhi Police on October 17 under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), required Bora to explain why she should not furnish a personal bond of Rs 10,000 with one surety to maintain peace during the inquiry.
During Saturday’s hearing, the magistrate handed over documents related to the notice to Bora, following a direction from the Delhi High Court. She has now been asked to submit her response by October 28, when the matter is scheduled to be heard again.
Neha Bora Questions Peace Bond Notice
Speaking at a press conference at the CPI(ML) Liberation parliamentary office, Bora said peaceful demonstrations on the streets were a democratic right. She questioned how raising concerns about the government could be treated as a threat to peace.
“If we do not ask the government any questions, whose peace are we keeping?” she asked, arguing that citizens must be able to question those in power and express dissent without fear.
Bora has maintained that the preventive proceedings against her do not adequately establish the likelihood of a breach of peace. She had challenged the police notice in the Delhi High Court, arguing that the action could restrict peaceful protest.
Notice Issued After ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ March
The notice was issued a day after Delhi Police detained Bora on October 16, when she joined the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march in the national capital.
The protest was part of a wider campaign demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Bora said the campaign against Kumar should not result in peaceful dissent being labelled a threat to public order. She maintained that questioning the government and protesting peacefully are fundamental democratic rights.
With the next hearing scheduled for October 28, Bora is expected to submit her response to the notice before the SEM court considers the matter further.