The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned how a protest planned by workers in Noida turned violent last month even as it directed that the two labour activists arrested by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police in connection with the violence be kept in judicial custody. It also sought responses from the UP government and the Centre on a plea by a journalist seeking an independent enquiry into the role of the UP Police during the protests.The court decided to keep the matters pending and issued notices to the Centre and the UP government on the petition filed by the journalist’s wife alleging illegal detention and seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a court-monitored team into the incident in Noida. (HT Archive)The court passed the order after interacting with the two activists, Ayush Anand and Rupesh Roy, who alleged brutal torture in police custody and expressed apprehension about similar treatment by the Haryana Police, which has already obtained permission from a trial court to seek Anand’s custody.“They are labour activists. Instruct your officers,” the bench told the UP government, represented by additional solicitor general (ASG) KM Nataraj.He responded, “Every human being has to be treated with dignity.”During the hearing, the court sought to understand the cause of the violence.“How was there violence and vehicles being burnt when you claim it was meant to be a peaceful protest?” the bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the two activists.They replied that the protests between April 10 and 13 had been planned and peaceful. They also narrated their ordeal after being taken into police custody.Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the two, urged the court not to permit fresh police custody, saying Anand had been named as an accused in a separate FIR registered in Gurugram.“We want an independent investigation into police atrocities and fake recoveries allegedly made from the accused. We don’t want them to be sent back to these policemen,” Gonsalves said.The Haryana Police informed the bench that a production warrant for Anand had been issued by a district court in Gurugram.The bench remarked, “Your custody has to wait, or you can interrogate them in jail.”The court said the purpose of calling the two detainees was to ensure that they were physically fit and able to appear before it from jail custody. Posting the matter for further hearing on July 21, the bench said: “The judicial custody of the two persons shall continue. The pendency of this writ petition before this court would not come in the way of the aforesaid persons seeking appropriate reliefs in accordance with law.”The court also entertained a separate petition filed by the wife of 65-year-old Lucknow-based journalist Satyam Verma, who was also detained by the UP Police for his alleged role in the workers’ stir. He also faces charges under the National Security Act (NSA).Facing multiple criminal cases, Verma sought clubbing of the FIRs against him and an independent probe into the alleged brutality by the police against protesting labourers.Advocate Shahrukh Alam, appearing for Verma’s wife, said he was targeted because of his reportage on labour laws and books found in his possession on the subject.“He is presently in jail but was picked up by the police on April 11, and his whereabouts were unknown for 48 hours. On April 12, an FIR was registered in Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) in which he was not named. A detention order under Section 3(2) of the NSA was invoked against him on May 12 when he was already in custody. This calls for an investigation and action over illegal custody,” Alam said.ASG Nataraj told the court that a petition in the matter was already pending before the Allahabad high court, adding that the Supreme Court had, in separate proceedings involving another accused in the protests, directed the person to approach the high court.The court decided to keep the matters pending and issued notices to the Centre and the UP government on the petition filed by the journalist’s wife alleging illegal detention and seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a court-monitored team into the incident in Noida.