The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Central government and the Delhi Police, asking why a large police force was deployed to disperse a student protest in the national capital. The court directed both authorities to file their replies within four weeks.
The case stems from protests at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET question paper leak. On July 20, as Parliament’s monsoon session began, protesters attempted to march towards Parliament after police denied permission, leading to clashes.
According to the police, some protesters pelted stones, injuring 118 personnel and damaging public property. Police said they used lathi-charge and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Petitioners, represented by senior advocates, alleged excessive force and claimed that more than 90 students were injured. They also raised allegations of misconduct by some personnel, including officers without name badges and individuals in plain clothes, and sought an independent probe by a Special Investigation Team.
A bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said it could not comment on the merits at this stage, but asked for an explanation on the scale of deployment. The court also ordered that CCTV footage, body-camera recordings and other videos related to the incident be preserved, and posted the matter for September 11.
