New Delhi, July 22: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant an urgent hearing on a petition challenging the alleged police action against students during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led protest march in Delhi.
The request for immediate listing was placed before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. The petitioners sought an early hearing, claiming that students participating in the demonstration were subjected to excessive force by police personnel.
During the hearing, the lawyer representing the petitioners informed the court that video recordings of the alleged incidents were available and requested that the matter be listed on Thursday due to the involvement of students.
“I have the videos as well regarding police brutality… If it can be listed tomorrow, students are there,” the counsel told the bench.
However, the Chief Justice made it clear that the court would not examine video material during the mentioning process, stating that such evidence could not be considered at that stage.
The bench declined the request for urgent listing and indicated that the matter would have to follow the regular process.
When the lawyer again referred to alleged injuries suffered by students and attempted to highlight the video evidence, the CJI said the court was not prepared to view footage during the brief mentioning proceedings.
The petition was filed in connection with the police response during the CJP protest march towards Parliament on Monday, which coincided with the beginning of the Monsoon Session.
Thousands of students and young demonstrators had gathered in Delhi as part of the protest, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over allegations related to irregularities in competitive examinations.
The march later turned tense as protesters attempted to move towards Parliament, leading to clashes between demonstrators and security personnel. Police used measures including batons and tear gas to control the situation and disperse the crowd.
The petitioners have raised concerns over the manner in which the protest was handled and sought judicial intervention regarding the alleged use of force against participants.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the matter on an urgent basis means the petition will now proceed according to the court’s normal listing procedure. The next steps will depend on when the case is taken up for detailed hearing and consideration of the reliefs sought by the petitioners.