New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday declined a request for the urgent listing of a petition challenging the alleged police action against student demonstrators during the protest in New Delhi on July 20. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana firmly refused to grant an immediate hearing, directing the mentioning counsel not to consume the court’s time with the request.
The matter was brought to the attention of the bench by a counsel representing the petitioners, who urged the court to schedule the hearing for Thursday. Presenting the gravity of the situation, the lawyer informed the court that numerous students were directly affected by the law enforcement response and offered to place video recordings on record to demonstrate instances of alleged police brutality during the demonstration. However, the top court expressed strong disinclination toward reviewing visual materials presented during the mentioning process. Chief Justice Surya Kant reprimanded the counsel, stating plainly, “Don’t waste our time.”
Despite the initial pushback, the lawyer attempted to convince the bench by highlighting that the petition contained three distinct prayers aimed at addressing the alleged excessive force used against young demonstrators. The lawyer reiterated that video evidence was readily available to substantiate claims of police atrocities at the protest site. Unmoved by the argument, CJI Surya Kant sternly countered that the bench was not interested in videos and did not have the bandwidth or time to watch footage while deciding on urgent listings. Consequently, the court chose not to assign an expedited date, leaving the petition to follow the standard administrative path of listing.
The underlying petition arises from the security operation undertaken during a major demonstration organized in the national capital on July 20, which coincided with the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. Thousands of students and youth activists had assembled in central Delhi to march toward Parliament House, demanding structural reforms in competitive examinations and protesting against systemic irregularities in public testing frameworks. The situation escalated when a section of the crowd attempted to bypass established security perimeters, prompting law enforcement personnel to employ baton charges and tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The heavy-handed response resulted in several injuries among both student participants and police officers, drawing widespread criticism from student organizations and civil rights advocacy groups across the country.
The apex court’s decision not to grant an urgent hearing follows a comparable stance taken by the regional judicial forum earlier, where similar pleas seeking immediate interim protection and judicial inquiries into law enforcement conduct were directed to be processed through ordinary court procedure.
