Jantar Mantar Student Protest: Supreme Court Constitutes High-Powered Committee to Probe Police Conduct During CJP's Parliament March
On Thursday, the Supreme Court announced the names of the members of a five-member high-powered committee. This committee will investigate allegations of police misconduct during the 'Parliament March' held in New Delhi. Former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy has been appointed as the chairman of this committee.
The panel includes former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Ravi Shanker Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla, and retired Director General of Police (Meghalaya) Dr. L.R. Bishnoi.
The Supreme Court decided to constitute this committee while hearing petitions on August 18. These petitions were filed following allegations regarding the Delhi Police's use of pellet guns and the mistreatment of female protesters during the Parliament March.
The protest at Jantar Mantar, held over allegations of the NEET paper leak and irregularities in the examination, continued for 36 days. The protest ended on July 25 following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
During the hearing, the Delhi Police stated that the Parliament March held on July 20 was illegal as it had been organized without the necessary permissions. The police also claimed that several individuals with criminal backgrounds had participated in the protest.
According to an affidavit filed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Sharma, protesters allegedly breached police barricades and assaulted security personnel, causing the protest to turn violent. The affidavit stated that the police used force solely to maintain law and order and denied allegations of using excessive force against the protesters.
This affidavit was filed in response to petitions seeking a court-monitored investigation into the alleged excesses committed by the police. The newly formed committee will investigate these allegations and submit its report to the Supreme Court.