LG’s Order Allowing Police to Testify from Police Stations Is a Mockery of the Judicial System: Saurabh Bhardwaj

• District courts on strike against the notification permitting police officers to testify in court via video conferencing from their police stations: Saurabh Bhardwaj
• Police have already been accused of filing false cases under government pressure; this order will only increase arbitrariness: Saurabh Bhardwaj
• Even the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court Bar Associations have opposed the LG’s order and demanded its withdrawal: Saurabh Bhardwaj
• This order will increase police powers and prevent effective cross-examination, which is a conspiracy to weaken the justice system: Sanjeev Nasiar

New Delhi, Aug 2025 : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has strongly opposed the Lieutenant Governor’s notification permitting police officers to testify directly from police stations via video conferencing. Delhi State Convenor of AAP, Saurabh Bhardwaj, said that the LG’s bizarre order has made a mockery of the entire justice system. “This is completely illegal and unconstitutional. Under this order, police officers can now sit in their stations and testify in court through video conferencing. All district courts in Delhi are on strike in protest,” he said.

Bhardwaj alleged that police already face accusations of filing false cases under government pressure, and this order will only worsen the misuse of power. He further pointed out that the Delhi High Court Bar Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association have also opposed the notification and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

Addressing a press conference at AAP headquarters along with AAP Legal Wing Delhi President Advocate Sanjeev Nasiar, Bhardwaj said that when the Centre introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), AAP’s legal wing had raised concerns. The Union Home Secretary had then given written assurance that police testimony could not be given from a police station. Yet, on August 13, LG V.K. Saxena issued a notification allowing police officers to record their statements from their stations instead of appearing in court. “This is nothing but mockery of the law. It is arbitrary, illegal, and destructive to the judicial system,” Bhardwaj said.

He warned that if police officers are allowed to testify from police stations, lawyers will not be able to cross-examine them effectively. “What if a lawyer asks a tough question that exposes contradictions? The officer could simply turn off the camera and claim an internet issue, then reappear better prepared at the next hearing. Where will the oath be administered? This will collapse the justice process,” he argued.

Bhardwaj also cautioned that today this applies to police stations, but tomorrow similar notifications could be issued for CBI and ED officers to testify from their offices, opening the door to further manipulation of cases. He noted that district courts have already observed a three-day strike against the notification, supported by both the High Court Bar Association and Supreme Court Bar Association, demanding withdrawal.

He accused the BJP government in Delhi of systematically hurting every section of society since coming to power — attacking the middle class with rising private school fees, allowing long power cuts, and shielding BJP legislators accused of assaulting doctors. “Now they are targeting lawyers. Courts across Delhi are on strike, yet the media is not covering it,” he said.

Advocate Sanjeev Nasiar added that for the last 10–11 years, under the guise of reforms, institutions have been weakened. He recalled that when BNS laws were enacted, lawyers had staged major protests, forcing the Home Ministry to assure that testimonies must be recorded in court only. “If witnesses are not called into court before a judge, there will be no oath, no cross-examination, and justice will be weakened. This notification is a conspiracy to weaken the judicial system,” Nasiar said.

He concluded that under the earlier AAP government, people felt safe from police misuse and had relief from inflation. “But under BJP, Delhi is witnessing law changes that endanger citizens’ rights. AAP’s legal wing fully supports the ongoing strike by lawyers and will force the Government of India and the LG to withdraw this notification,” he said.