Now Reading: Gujarat HC notices to state over farmers’ alleged public parade
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Gujarat HC notices to state over farmers’ alleged public parade
The Gujarat High Court on Friday, 16 October 2026, issued notice to the state government on a contempt petition alleging Dhandhuka police tied four farmers with ropes, beat them, and paraded them in public, violating Supreme Court guidelines against custodial torture. The division bench of Justice N S Sanjay Gowda and Justice J L Odedra directed preservation of CCTV footage from the police station and the parade route, and allowed the petitioners to approach the court again if they faced further pressure.
The petition, filed by farmers including Husenbhai Malvat, claims they were assaulted on 8 October after opposing unauthorised entry onto their agricultural land. Police Inspector B T Gohil, already facing a contempt case over a 2016 custodial torture incident in Rajkot, is among the nine officers named. The court also sought production of medical records and station diaries. The next hearing in the Dhandhuka matter is scheduled for 27 November.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both outlets report the same core facts: the High Court's notice, the alleged parading of four farmers, and the role of Inspector Gohil, who is separately facing a 2016 contempt case. Indian Express leads with the court's order and details the petition's allegations including detention for up to 29 hours. Times of India foregrounds the identity of the nine officers named, including four women constables, and quotes the bench's sharp remark to the government lawyer. Neither outlet frames the government sympathetically, the coverage is uniform straight reporting, with the only difference being emphasis on specific accused names versus procedural details. The next hearing on 27 November will test whether the preservation order yields evidence.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): indianexpress.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
