The Supreme Court has said it would constitute a high-powered committee comprising a former Supreme Court judge, a former Chief Justice of a High Court and a senior retired police officer to examine allegations arising from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana said the committee would conduct a fact-finding exercise into allegations of police excesses and violence against police personnel.
The panel will also examine the allegations of sexual assault, online harassment of women protesters and the victimisation of vulnerable people through social media. It will submit periodic reports to the Court, which will consider further directions based on its findings.
The Court assured that victims approaching the panel would receive a prompt hearing, warning that those responsible for wrongdoing would be held fully accountable under the law. The Chief Justice highlighted that acts of sexual assault and online harassment will not be tolerated or excused, insisting that all such allegations must be thoroughly addressed.
The Court, however, clarified that the committee would deal only with factual issues. Constitutional and legal questions relating to facial recognition technology, surveillance, privacy and Article 21 would remain with the Supreme Court.
The Bench directed the panel to focus on factual inquiries, including potential police excessive force, reserving the broader legal and constitutional issues regarding facial recognition technology for the Court’s own consideration.
The Bench was hearing a batch of petitions concerning protests at Jantar Mantar, Bihar and other parts of the country over alleged leaks of NEET and other examination papers.
During the hearing, the Court indicated that it could consider invoking its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to quash FIRs against students, while cases involving individuals with serious criminal antecedents could be dealt with separately.
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