New Delhi, March 27 The city police on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that allegations about custodial torture and illegal detention of some students arrested earlier this month were fabricated and motivated to derail an ongoing investigation into their Maoist-linked activities.
The submissions were made before the bench of Justices Navin Chawla and Ravinder Dudeja, hearing a writ petition filed by the younger sister of Lakshita Rajoura, who had alleged that she and other students were abducted and taken to an unmarked building in New Friends Colony.
"The present writ petition and the affidavit filed by the alleged Lakshita Rajoura alias Badal are false, fabricated, and motivated as stated above. The allegations have been made with mala fide intent to obstruct and derail an ongoing lawful investigation concerning serious offences and also to defame the individual officer," the affidavit read.
In a counter-affidavit filed before the high court, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police asserted that the protesters were only called for "lawful questioning" in connection with an FIR registered in July 2025.
The police further claimed that the activists are associated with organizations like Bhagat Singh Chatra Ekta Manch (BSCEM), which they alleged are platforms for anti-national and Naxalite content.
The petitioner in the affidavit claimed that during a period of detention in July 2025, she was subjected to "grave sexual harassment" and "Islamophobic remarks" by an intoxicated inspector.
She further alleged that she witnessed male students being beaten while their faces were covered with wet black masks and that she was forced to sign blank papers and backdated notices under duress.
Refuting these charges, the police informed the court that no illegal detention, abduction, coercion or torture, as alleged, has ever taken place.
"No illegal detention, abduction, coercion, or torture, as alleged, has ever taken place. The allegations are highly exaggerated, contradictory, and devoid of any material proof, and appear to be an afterthought to exert pressure upon the investigating agency," it read.
The police maintained that the interrogation was conducted in a professional manner in the presence of female staff.
"No custodial torture or threats, as alleged, were ever inflicted upon any male person. The interrogation was conducted in a lawful and professional manner in the presence of female staff," the affidavit read further.
According to the police, the investigation pertains to a case involving the disappearance of a woman to which it referred as 'Ms. V'.
The police alleged that Ms. V had been brainwashed and indoctrinated by individuals associated with Maoist ideologies. They claimed that the questioning of Rajoura and others eventually led to the tracing of the missing woman on March 14, 2026.
Responding to the petitioner's demand related to the preservation of CCTV footage, the police confirmed that the footage from the Special Cell office in New Friends Colony has been preserved but the footage from specific locations in Vijay Nagar and Maurice Nagar was not available.
"It is specifically denied that any CCTV cameras were switched off to conceal any act. No such instructions were ever given, and the allegations are concocted without any supporting material," the police said.
The police further argued that the activists failed to produce any medical documents or Medico-Legal Cases (MLC) to substantiate their claims of physical assault and termed the allegations an "afterthought".
The court listed the matter for April 23 for further hearing.
According to the petition, it was alleged that between 10 people including six students from different colleges of the national capital, two labour rights activists and anti-displacement activists each were illegally detained by the Delhi Police between March 12 and 14
Following this, a petition was filed in the Delhi High Court over their alleged detention by the police.
Some of these students were previously booked in a case related to raising pro-Maoist slogans at the India Gate during their agitation against souring air pollution levels last year.