The Supreme Court on Wednesday, July 22, declined to urgently list a petition challenging the police action against students during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest march in Delhi.
The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, with the petitioner’s counsel seeking an early hearing over allegations of police brutality against students.
The lawyer told the bench that the petition contained three prayers and that video footage of the alleged police action was available. The counsel also urged the court to list the matter for hearing at the earliest, stating that students were involved.
The Chief Justice, however, refused to entertain the request for urgent listing and said the court was not willing to examine video footage at the mentioning stage. When the counsel again referred to the alleged assault on students and sought to rely on the videos, the CJI declined to consider them.
The petition challenged the police action during the CJP’s march to Parliament on Monday, the opening day of the Monsoon Session. Thousands of students and young protesters had gathered in central Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations.
The demonstration turned confrontational after protesters attempted to march towards Parliament. Security personnel used lathis and tear gas to disperse the crowd, leading to clashes between the protesters and police.
