Supreme Court Sets Up Panel to Probe Alleged Police Excesses in NEET-UG Protests
The Supreme Court in Delhi has constituted a high-powered enquiry committee, headed by former apex court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy, to investigate allegations of police excesses against students during nationwide protests over NEET-UG paper leaks.
The committee was formed under an order dated August 19 by a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant. The court directed that the inquiry must not be a one-time exercise, instructing the panel to undertake continuous and periodic assessments of the issues and submit interim findings to enable appropriate judicial measures.
Alongside Justice Reddy, the panel includes Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice Shalinder Kaur, former judge of the Delhi High Court; Rishi Kumar Shukla, former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation; and Dr. L.R. Bishnoi, retired Director General of Police, Meghalaya.
The Supreme Court suggested that the panel prioritize allegations of targeted violence, harassment, and molestation of female protesters, alongside assessing grievous injuries allegedly caused by security personnel. The court noted that the panel's work will not bar police authorities from taking administrative or disciplinary actions against officers found violating conduct rules.
The court listed several key issues raised by petitioners for the panel's review, including the deployment of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges, and tear gas without adequate warning or proportionality. The panel was also asked to examine demands to ban metallic kinetic projectiles, ensure officers wear proper uniforms with visible nameplates during crowd-control operations, assess police surveillance of protesters, and address provisions for medical support and compensation.
Additionally, the bench forwarded concerns raised by respondents, including the families of injured police officers, regarding violence directed at security personnel and damage caused to public and private property during the demonstrations.
