Supreme Court Seeks Replies on CJP Protest Police Action

Court weighs independent probe into protest violence

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought replies from the Centre and governments in Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh on allegations of police excesses during student protests against examination-paper leaks. The three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, said it would decide whether to order an independent probe after receiving the responses.

The petitions concern demonstrations held under the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) banner, including the Jantar Mantar protest in Delhi. The court said the allegations prima facie made out a case for an independent and fair investigation.

What we can verify

• The bench considered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) as one possible route for examining violence and fixing accountability.
• The court directed authorities to preserve CCTV, drone, body-camera and wireless-communication records linked to the protests.
• It prohibited action against students in protest-related cases unless they have a criminal record, and asked states to release detained minors.
• The Supreme Court said police-recorded digital data should not become public at this stage.
• Bar and Bench separately reported the court's observation that peaceful protest is protected and agitation alone cannot justify police excesses.

What remains unverified

The court had not ordered an SIT at the time of the reports. The number of injured people and allegations about force remain disputed between petitioners and government representatives; this article does not treat either side's contested figures as established fact.

The Indian Express reported that the Centre denied police excesses and said almost 250 police personnel were injured. Petitioners alleged disproportionate force against protesters. Those claims await the court's further proceedings.