CEC protests: Bombay High Court says won’t allow detentions that violate law

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) said it would not permit detentions that violate the law, while hearing a petition on the Mumbai Police’s detention of protesters during demonstrations against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on October 10 and 11. It adjourned the matter to Monday.

“We will take care of the issue but we will not permit this,” Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi said. The Bench directed the petitioner to place instances of detentions on record. “Bring everything on record… We cannot say no detention at all… But each example needs to be brought on record,” it said.

The petition, filed by Sagar Kantilal Devre, states that the police detained around 600 persons on October 10 and 300 on October 11. It claims those detained included passers-by, women and a mother with a child.

It also states that the police picked up people from their homes because their names appeared in FIRs relating to the July 2026 protests, which the Supreme Court has quashed.

The petitioner has sought preservation of CCTV footage and police records, a list of those detained and an inquiry into the use of force.

The Division Bench comprised Chief Justice Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna. Counsel for the State sought time, saying he had received a copy of the petition only now.