An application has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking the reconstitution of the five-member high-powered committee constituted by the Court to probe alleged police excesses during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
The application was mentioned on August 25 before a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.
On August 18, the Supreme Court had constituted the committee, headed by former apex court Justice R Subhash Reddy, to investigate allegations of police excesses against CJP protestors, along with counter-allegations concerning injuries to police personnel and damage to public property.
The committee also comprises former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and former Meghalaya DGP LR Bishnoi.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the applicant, asked the Court to schedule the application for hearing the following week.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta strongly opposed the request, questioning the political intent behind the plea and labeling it as a mischievous application. Mehta urged the Court to hear the application alongside the main matter instead. He explicitly objected to the plea proposing changes to the Court-appointed committee and naming specific individuals to head or join the panel, including former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and former Meghalaya DGP L.R. Bishnoi.
Without revealing the exact contents of the application, the SG submitted that the court is not a political platform and the facts of this application isn’t trust worthy, while keeping the details of the application undisclosed
CJI Surya Kant also expressed displeasure over the mentioning of names in the application.
Sankaranarayanan clarified that he was only seeking listing of the application and would not press any names before the Court.
The Supreme Court subsequently directed that the application seeking reconstitution of the committee be heard along with the main batch of petitions concerning alleged police excesses and connected issues arising from the CJP protests.
The protests, which began in June, were organised against repeated question paper leaks in entrance examinations, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), with protestors demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The protests intensified after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the agitation and began a hunger strike in solidarity.
On July 20, during a “Sansad Chalo” march towards Parliament, Delhi Police and the Rapid Action Force reportedly used lathi charges, tear gas and pellet guns to disperse protestors.
Pradhan subsequently resigned as Union Education Minister on July 25, following which the protests were called off.
Similar demonstrations were also witnessed in Bihar, where police allegedly resorted to force against protestors. A policeman was also seen allegedly using an AK-47 rifle during the protests.
The incidents led to the filing of a batch of petitions before the Supreme Court seeking judicial intervention into allegations of excessive use of force by police and security personnel.
The matter is likely to be taken up next in September.
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