A Bihar Congress functionary has approached the Supreme Court seeking to intervene in proceedings concerning alleged excessive use of force against students protesting over the NEET examination paper leak controversy.
Dr Abul Farah Shazli, District Secretary of the District Congress Committee in Saharsa, has filed an application in the writ petition instituted by Rajya Sabha MP Dr Manoj Kumar Jha. The application supports the principal petition’s plea for an independent examination of allegations concerning police excesses against student demonstrators.
The intervention application seeks disclosure of the FIRs registered against students in connection with protests held between July 20 and July 25. It calls for details including the identities of those arraigned, the offences invoked against them and other relevant particulars.
The applicant has also backed the plea seeking safeguards against intimidation, detention or other coercive measures against students merely for having participated in the demonstrations.
The proceedings arise against the backdrop of protests across several parts of the country over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and the NEET paper leak controversy. The petitioner has contended that peaceful assembly and protest form part of the constitutional framework and that allegations of disproportionate police action must be subjected to an impartial and transparent inquiry.
The intervention application emphasises the importance of preserving public confidence in the rule of law where allegations of excessive force by law-enforcement authorities have been raised. It also seeks preservation of relevant electronic and digital material, including recordings that may assist an eventual investigation.
The Supreme Court had on July 28 passed interim directions concerning preservation of CCTV footage, drone recordings, body-camera footage and other digital evidence relating to the protests.
The main petition has sought broader directions to States and Union Territories, including disclosure of FIR-related information concerning students who participated in the demonstrations. It also seeks measures to prevent authorities from allegedly documenting, threatening, intimidating or detaining students for taking part in protests.
Additionally, the petition seeks formulation of uniform national standards and standard operating procedures governing the use of force during public demonstrations.
The latest application has been filed in the context of continuing controversy over police action during student protests in Bihar and other parts of the country. The applicant has stated that the intervention is intended to assist the Court in examining the issues already raised before it, rather than enlarging the scope of the pending proceedings.
The applicant is represented before the Supreme Court by Advocates Aarati Sah and Animesh Shukla.
The matter is part of the wider judicial scrutiny surrounding the handling of student demonstrations and the balance between maintaining public order and protecting the constitutional right to peaceful protest.
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