India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday (March 19) directed the Delhi Police to take all necessary measures to ensure that public life remains undisturbed during Eid festivities, following recent communal tensions triggered by a violent incident in Uttam Nagar.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia emphasized that Eid is a festival of joy and that it is the responsibility of authorities to guarantee that citizens can observe their religious practices peacefully. The court instructed the police and civil administration to maintain strict vigilance and take preventive action against any individual or group attempting to disrupt harmony.
The directions came while hearing a plea filed by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), which raised concerns over escalating communal tensions and the potential disruption of Eid celebrations. The petition cited the March 4 killing of a 26-year-old man during a Holi-related clash in Uttam Nagar as the source of heightened tensions, along with the circulation of inflammatory social media content.
After hearing the matter for some time, the division bench dictated: “Eid is celebrated to rejoice. It is duty of all concerned to ensure that on such pious occasion, public life is not disrupted by any untoward incident involving hooliganism by any individual or any section of society. It is needless to observe that it is duty of the State specially police force to ensure that every citizen is able to observe his religious rights and celebrations of festivals. The apprehensions expressed in petition appears to be based on incident which occurred on March 4 and therefore, police have to be extra cautious. Various police action have been taken to ensure Eid passes peacefully but we may emphasise if on assessment of situation, any need arises to strengthen arrangement, measures as required shall be taken forthwith. Apart from taking preventive action , police is expected to ensure that all sections of society maintain restraint considering the past incident. The situation as described in petition not only calls upon authorities to be at constant strict vigil but it also calls upon members of different sections of society to maintain constraint and conduct themselves in manner which may promote peace and harmony and not cause any situation which may turn ugly. We direct the police and civil administration of the area to take all required action permissible under law to ensure situation does not take any ugly turn and an atmosphere is created conducive to peaceful Eid. Police arrangements should be such to instil essence of security and safety to all. The authorities shall ensure that no one from any section of society is permitted to play any mischief having the potential of creating any untoward situation”.
The court noted submissions by government counsel that extensive security arrangements have already been put in place. These include round-the-clock police deployment, the presence of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), and intensified surveillance across sensitive areas. Authorities informed the court that multiple companies of armed personnel have been deployed across Dwarka district, with additional forces on standby.
Police also reported proactive steps such as monitoring social media, removing dozens of inflammatory posts, verifying thousands of individuals in the area, and conducting community outreach through Aman Committee meetings.
While acknowledging these efforts, the court stressed that authorities must remain alert and prepared to reinforce security if needed. It also called on all sections of society to exercise restraint and act responsibly to maintain peace.
The bench further ordered that heightened security arrangements should continue through the upcoming festival of Ram Navami. The matter has been listed for further hearing on April 6.
The background of the case involves a clash that reportedly began during Holi celebrations over a minor dispute, which escalated into violence resulting in one death. Police have arrested 14 individuals and apprehended two minors in connection with the incident.
