Supreme Court sets up 5-member committee to probe cops’ use of force, violence at NEET protests

The Supreme Court constituted a five-member High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) on Thursday to probe the allegations of excessive and disproportionate use of force by the security personnel against protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and other states against the NEET paper leak.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the committee would be headed by former apex court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy and will comprise former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court Judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya DGP L R Bishnoi.

“This HPEC (High-Powered Enquiry Committee) has been constituted bearing in mind a wide variety of considerations, including the individual expertise and experience of each of its members, as well as the diversity of the Committee, among other factors,” the bench said.

“We are confident that the recommendations of the HPEC will be of invaluable assistance to this Court, and the Committee will be able to undertake a comprehensive assessment of all such issues as merit due contemplation,” it added.

‘Preserve drone recordings, CCTV and bodycam footage’

The court has ordered the preservation of CCTV footage, drone recordings, body-cam footage, and PCR call records related to the protest to ensure that crucial evidence is not tampered with during the investigation and that the sequence of events can be examined independently.

The court also stressed protecting the personal data of protesters. It restrained the police from making such private information public.

The committee will also consider allegations by authorities of violence against police personnel and damage to public property.

The top court said the enquiry by the committee shall not be a one-time exercise and asked the panel to undertake a continuous assessment of the issues and submit its interim findings periodically.

The top court directed that the allegations of harassment and molestation, particularly those involving female protesters, be treated as a priority. Additionally, an inquiry will be conducted into the serious and severe injuries sustained by protesters following police action.

Thousands of protesters, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, gave a call for a march on Parliament on July 20, the first day of the Monsoon Session, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue.

Police fired tear gas and used batons to disperse the protest, triggering clashes and a wave of detentions.

Panel to probe allegations about use of excessive force

The committee will investigate the allegations regarding the use of excessive force by police and other security agencies against protesters, including allegations concerning the use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi-charges, and tear gas.

It will also be considered whether the use of metallic pellets should be banned.

The committee will examine how to strike a proper balance between maintaining law and order during protests and peaceful gatherings and upholding the constitutional right of citizens to protest peacefully.

The need for a system requiring police and security personnel to wear uniforms and clear nameplates during arrests or crowd control operations will be considered to ensure the identification and accountability of officers, the court said.

Besides, the allegations of police monitoring and surveillance of protesters will also be investigated to determine whether such surveillance was consistent with their constitutional rights to privacy and peaceful assembly.