New Delhi, August 2: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions on Monday alleging police excesses during the recent nationwide protests over examination irregularities and the NEET paper leak controversy.
Supreme Court May Consider SIT Probe
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohan will hear the petitions, which seek an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality during the protests.
During the previous hearing on July 28, the Supreme Court observed that a fair and impartial inquiry was necessary and indicated it may consider constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. The proposed probe would examine allegations made by protesters, including those injured during the demonstrations, and also determine whether attacks on police personnel were carried out by students or by “miscreants.”
Earlier, the apex court directed all states to release detained protesters below the age of 18 who had no criminal antecedents. It also restrained authorities from taking coercive action against protesting students while allowing investigations into registered FIRs to continue.
The court clarified that the protection would not apply to individuals with criminal backgrounds.
The Bench also took note of allegations involving the use of pellet guns, lathi charges, rubber bullets and electric batons, which protesters claimed caused serious injuries to several students and young women.
To ensure a transparent investigation, the Supreme Court directed authorities in Delhi and other states where protests took place to preserve:
- CCTV footage
- Drone recordings
- Body-camera footage
- Wireless communication records
- PCR logs
- Other digital evidence related to the protests
The court also instructed police authorities to safeguard the personal and digital data collected from protesters and refrain from making such information public.
The Supreme Court has issued notices to the governments of Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala, directing their Advocate Generals to participate in the proceedings.
The petitions stem from protests that followed allegations of irregularities in the NEET examination. Demonstrations intensified after a march organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi on July 20, during which clashes erupted between protesters and security personnel.
The protests later spread to several states, with demonstrators demanding accountability over the alleged paper leak and reforms in the public examination system.
