NEW DELHI, Oct. 24 — Neha Bora, president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), has outright refused to sign a “good behaviour” peace bond issued by Delhi Police, describing the directive as an unconstitutional attempt to stifle political dissent and curb fundamental democratic rights, Indian media outlet Times Now reported on Saturday.
The refusal follows proceedings in the Delhi High Court, where Justice Subramonium Prasad disposed of Bora’s writ petition challenging the police summons. While declining to quash the notice directly, the court directed the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) to provide Bora with all relevant documentation and substantiate the statutory basis for demanding the bond during preliminary inquiry.
Addressing the police action, Bora maintained that silence in the face of executive overreach cannot be equated with peace.
“Dissent is an essential part of democracy, guaranteed under our Constitution. Demanding a bond to silence lawful political opposition is fundamentally unacceptable,” Bora said, affirming that while she would comply with judicial procedure and appear before the magistrate, she will not sign the bond under any circumstance.
The dispute stems from Bora’s preventive detention on October 16 as she prepared to join the “Lehra Do Tiranga” demonstration near Connaught Place. Although released the following day, police subsequently invoked Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), demanding a personal surety of ₹10,000 to maintain peace.
During the court hearing, Bora’s counsel, Abhik Chimni, argued that carrying or unfurling the national flag requires no administrative clearance, characterizing the police notice as arbitrary and baseless. The court directed the magistrate to conduct the inquiry strictly in accordance with statutory safeguards before issuing any binding directions.
Source: Times Now (via Delhi High Court proceedings)