On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear, on the coming Monday, two petitions alleging the use of excessive police force against students protesting across India over exam paper leaks.
Mentioning the petitions, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan told the bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, “This matter is urgent because it is happening daily. The police are using excessive force against the students. It is continuing unabated. Some restraint is necessary. The Court stands between us and the police.”
The CJI agreed to list the matter for an urgent hearing on July 27.
Earlier, clarifying that no petition regarding the CJP protests had been filed in the Supreme Court, the CJI took strong exception to media reports claiming he had refused to list a petition concerning alleged police brutality against CJP protesters for an urgent hearing.
There had been widespread media reports stating that the CJI had refused to list a petition against alleged police excesses targeting student protesters on July 22. Dismissing such reports as “completely incorrect” and “irresponsible,” the CJI stated that no petition had been filed and that the matter was merely a representation.
