Delhi police restrain protester along with RAF personnel during NEET protests.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 28, said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) may be set up to ensure a fair, transparent and thorough probe into all incidents of violence during the recent student protests. It ordered all states to release protesting students below 18 years of age and those without any criminal antecedents.
The law must take its course once there is a violation of “defined protocol,” the apex court said.
Dealing with a batch of pleas alleging police excesses against students protesting irregularities in exams and the NEET paper leak across the country, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant referred to many incidents of violence.
At the outset, the bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, asked why there should not be an independent probe into the allegations. “Whosoever committed excesses, took law in their hands should be taken to task,” the CJI said.
Taking note of the lawyers’ submissions, the bench said a fair and independent probe into all allegations of police excesses against protesting students was required. “Once there is violation of defined protocol, law must take care of it,” the bench said.
During the hearing, the apex court said while the Delhi government may continue to probe FIRs lodged, it should not take any coercive action against protesting students. However, the bench said this should not extend to persons with criminal antecedents.
It further asked police officials of all states to ensure that digital data of protesters collected is preserved and not released into the public domain.
The Supreme Court also ordered the release of all protesting students who are below 18 and who do not have any criminal antecedents.
The CJI said that the bench is mulling an independent, transparent and thorough probe into all allegations. A probe is also required to ascertain the attacks on 250 policemen and whether they were by students or some “miscreants,” the court said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said students will not indulge in violence against police personnel, but some miscreants are involved in the incidents. Miscreants involved in murder, rape and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases entered the protest and perpetrated violence on police personnel, he added.
On Monday, the bench said an agitation cannot justify “police excesses” or a ‘lathi charge’. The bench also said that the right to peaceful protest is absolutely guaranteed.
The Rapid Action Force (RAF) fired multiple rounds of non-lethal munitions, including two rounds of plastic pellets, while controlling the mob at one location near Jantar Mantar during the July 20 ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, officials said on Tuesday, citing official records of the police action.
The incident has been recorded on July 22 at 1:24 pm in the general diary entry of the Parliament Street police station on the information of a Deputy Commandant of RAF stating the blue dungaree-donning force was on duty in Zone 1 of the Jantar Mantar area along with a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) rank officer of the Delhi Police, the officials told PTI.
On the directions of the DCP, according to the officials quoting the police station record, RAF fired 55 non-electrical shells, 15 electrical shells, five tear smoke grenades, two rounds from the anti-riot guns and two rounds of plastic pellets on July 20.
Officials said one round of the non-lethal plastic pellets contains four pieces, and they are different from the metal pellets that pierce the body. The plastic pellets do not cause much harm, the officials said.
There have been two to three reports of protesters suffering grievous pellet injuries during this protest march called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) seeking the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister over the NEET-UG question paper leak.
The march on July 20 in Delhi subsequently witnessed clashes between protesters and security personnel, who used lathis and tear gas shells to disperse crowds attempting to move towards Parliament.
This post was last modified on July 28, 2026 12:55 pm