Congress Takes Ritu Barala Case to Court After Police Refuse Zero FIR Over Delhi Jurisdiction
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Following three straight days of demonstrations that paralyzed major traffic arteries around the Police Commissionerate, the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, officially called off its high-voltage sit-in agitation in Jaipur concerning the alleged police assault on National Students' Union of India (NSUI) National Secretary Ritu Barala. The withdrawal came after Jaipur Police formally provided a written refusal explaining that a Zero FIR cannot be registered within Rajasthan's territorial jurisdiction because the foundational complaint is under active verification at the Connaught Place police station in New Delhi. Adamant that the state police violated settled statutory mandates regarding Zero FIRs, senior Congress leadership announced an immediate shift in strategy: moving the judiciary not only to secure a court-monitored FIR into the alleged custodial thrashing of the student leader but also to initiate disciplinary prosecution against police officers who refused to lodge the case.
Commissionerate Standoff: Demonstrations, Blockades, and Injury to PCC Chief Dotasara
The three-day protest outside the state police headquarters witnessed high political tension and street blockades:
Sit-in Across Key Arteries: Youth Congress and NSUI workers assembled in large numbers at the Martyrs' Memorial (Shaheed Smarak) and along the primary road corridor leading to the Police Commissionerate campus, blocking thoroughfares, singing Ramdhun, and raising slogans against police inaction.
Injury to PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasara: Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee President Govind Singh Dotasara sustained an acute leg injury during the chaotic scuffle outside the police campus on Wednesday morning, later requiring a wheelchair to exit the protest venue.
High-Level Delegation Talks: A senior Congress delegation comprising Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully and Dotasara met Jaipur Police Commissioner Sachin Mittal inside the headquarters, demanding either an immediate Zero FIR or a formal written rationale detailing why the statutory process was being withheld.
The Legal Deadlock: Why Jaipur Police Denied Zero FIR Registration
The Jaipur police administration stood firm on legal procedure, citing ongoing inquiries by the Delhi Police:
Primary Complaint Under Probe in New Delhi: Jaipur Police Commissioner Sachin Mittal stated that Ritu Barala had already lodged an official complaint on the day of the incident at the Connaught Place Police Station in Delhi, where the matter remains under active probe by local investigators.
Jurisdictional Impasse: Commissioner Mittal clarified that when an identical complaint is already pending before the territorial station where the offense allegedly took place, registering a parallel Zero FIR in Jaipur is impermissible under prevailing legal frameworks.
Kerala Reference and Retaliatory Action: Addressing queries regarding how Kerala Police had previously registered Zero FIRs in similar multi-jurisdictional rows, Mittal declined to comment on outside state practices while confirming that the administration is legally assessing whether to register formal cases against Congress agitators for staging unauthorized multi-day protests inside the Commissionerate compound.
Moving the Courts: Congress Slams Rajasthan Administration and Backs Barala
Unsatisfied with the written refusal, top opposition leaders confirmed that the battle is moving directly to the courtroom:
Defiance of Supreme Court Precedents: Both Govind Singh Dotasara and Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully accused the Rajasthan Police of openly violating binding directives from the Supreme Court of India and Central Government home guidelines regarding the mandatory registration of Zero FIRs on sexual assault and custodial violence complaints.
Plea Against Refusing Officers: The party affirmed that its legal team is preparing comprehensive writ petitions seeking court directives to lodge an FIR into the assault and register criminal complaints against police officials who refused to carry out statutory duties.
Victim’s Pledge for Justice: NSUI National Secretary Ritu Barala reaffirmed her resolve, stating that administrative intimidation will not force her to retreat and that she will pursue the fight for justice through constitutional avenues.
What Is the Ritu Barala Incident? The Protest Against Chief Election Commissioner
The controversy stems from student demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the national capital:
Detention During NSUI Agitation: On October 13, Ritu Barala led an NSUI demonstration targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi, leading to preventive detentions by security personnel.
Allegations of Custodial Mistreatment: The complaint alleges that female police officers subjected Barala to verbal abuse and physical assault inside a police transit bus while she was in custody.
Unsuccessful Complaint and Relocation to Jaipur: After Delhi's Connaught Place Police Station did not convert her complaint into an immediate criminal case, the student leader sought the registration of a Zero FIR at the Moti Dungri Police Station in Jaipur, triggering the three-day political showdown.
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