The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other AAP leaders on the Chandigarh administration’s petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order quashing a 2020 rioting case against them during a protest against electricity tariffs hike in the union territory.A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana asked Mann and AAP leaders Harpal Singh Cheema, Gurmeet Singh, Meet Hayer, Baljinder Kaur, Aman Arora and others to respond to the Chandigarh administration’s petition after Additional Solicitor General SV Raju submitted that the high court passed a “totally perverse order.”“Unlawful assembly was there, admittedly. Accused was present. Named in the FIR. Unlawful assembly indulged in violence, injuries caused to police officers. Prima facie offence made out. The Judge says it can’t be unlawful assembly as there was no order under Section 144. Unheard of! Even if he (Mann) was not involved in any overt act, any act by a member of the assembly is attributable to him,” the ASG submitted.On July 16, the Bench had said it was not inclined to entertain the Chandigarh administration’s petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order quashing a rioting case against Mann and other AAP leaders in connection with the 2020 protest against the hike in electricity tariffs.“Mr Raju, naarebaazi… everyone does it in democracy. Now that he (Mann) is holding some responsible position…we understand he will understand his responsibility also…it’s alright I think now… If you are going to argue on merits, we will hear you. Otherwise, we are not inclined to interfere,” CJI Kant had told the ASG.On July 21, it had said that there was no allegation that Chief Minister Mann and other AAP leaders had “exhorted” a crowd protesting against the hike in electricity tariffs in Chandigarh.Almost six years after the registration of FIR, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had on November 29, 2025 quashed the FIR, charge sheet and all subsequent proceedings against Mann and other AAP leaders.The Chandigarh Police had lodged the case on January 10, 2020 after Mann, AAP leaders Aman Arora and Harpal Singh Cheema (now ministers), Baljinder Kaur, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Sarvjeet Kaur and others over a protest march against an electricity tariff hike.In his November 29, 2025, order Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya of the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the FIR against Mann and other AAP leaders, saying there was no reason for the police to stop the protestors as no prohibitory order had been issued under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.“Nobody has been named from amongst the persons present who allegedly pelted stones on the police force. Besides, it is not the case that the petitioners asked them to do so. The nature of alleged instigation by the petitioners has also not been mentioned; nor have specific words or gestures of any kind been attributed to them,” the high court said.The Chandigarh Police registered the case against the leaders on the complaint of a woman constable of the Chandigarh Police at Police Station, Sector 3, Chandigarh under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter the public servant from his duty), 147 (punishment for rioting) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offences committed in prosecution of common object).The complaint alleged that on January 10, 2020, many workers of the party led by these leaders pushed and attacked the policemen while they were stopped to move towards the official residence of the then Chief Minister. She alleged that on being instigated by the leaders, the workers started pushing the police force and tried to break the barricades.Water cannons were used to disperse them but the workers allegedly started pelting stones on the police force. She alleged many cops were injured in the attack.