IANS/New Delhi
The Supreme Court yesterday adjourned the hearing on a plea seeking to declare the preventive arrest of activist Anna Hazare on August 16 as a violation of his fundamental rights.An apex court bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice B S Chauhan adjourned the hearing observing that the petitioner, National Panthers Party chairman Bhim Singh, should obtain Hazare’s consent before the matter of his arrest could be considered by the court.At the outset of the hearing, the court told Bhim Singh that his first demand seeking the release of Hazare had become meaningless as he has already been set free.Bhim Singh contended that his plea was not confined only to Hazare’s arrest but also to similar actions by the police in the country as he too has suffered such detentions. He said that the police do not follow legal norms.The court said that it had already dealt with this issue in their judgment last week.As Bhim Singh pressed his point, the court said it would not issue the notice unless there was consent of Anna Hazare on record. “What if Anna Hazare was to say that he was comfortable and fine,” the court asked.The case will now come up for hearing next week.Meanwhile, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has urged the Delhi Police to take action against those who were breaking the law and creating a ruckus in the name of Anna Hazare.Condemning the incident early yesterday when a group of drunk men tried to barge into Hazare’s fast venue through the VIP gate and some of them became violent, Kejriwal said such people were not the social activist’s supporters.“Around 60 to 70 people gathered here last night and created a ruckus. But just because they hold a tricolour and chant Anna’s name it doesn’t mean that they are with us... We condemn such actions,” Kejriwal said.“They are anti-social elements here to disturb our movement and they should be treated like other offenders,” he said.The activist asked Hazare’s supporters to identify such people and make them understand that what they were doing was wrong.“Even then if they don’t budge then we should hand them over to police,” Kejriwal said.“They are also insulting some particular politicians and political parties by raising offensive slogans. Such behaviour is totally uncalled for,” he added.More than 10 drunken men allegedly attacked two policemen deployed at one of the Ramlila Maidan gates at around 3am, the police said.When the police stopped them, one man hit a policeman.“As the group was in no mood to budge, we detained five of them. The rest fled,” an officer said.Another Hazare supporter denied the arrested men had any links with the protest.