Live: Why not independent probe into police excesses and attacks on cops too, CJI asks

Live blogDelhi Protest Crackdown SC Hearing Live Updates: The Supreme Court has taken up petitions in connection with the police crackdown on the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) anti-NEET protests. Among the new pleas is a PIL seeking directions to ban the use of pellet guns by law enforcement agencies for civilian crowd control, contending that the weapon is unconstitutional and causes disproportionate harm. Filed by two victims of the July 20 Rapid Action Force (RAF) pellet firing during the CJP's Parliament march, along with a former IPS officer, the petition also seeks compensation for those injured in the operation. The plea comes amid allegations that pellet guns were used against protesters during clashes with security personnel, with several demonstrators claiming they suffered injuries, including serious eye injuries and possible vision loss. Stay tuned to IndiaToday.in for the latest updates....Read MoreAllegations have surfaced that the police used pellet guns to control the crowd during CJP's July 20 Sansad Chalo march. (Pic: Reuters)Jul 28, 2026 11:37 ISTSupreme Court Hearing: SC flags gaps in crowd-control protocol, says allegations warrant probeSenior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the police action during the CJP protests violated established legal and operational procedures. He told the Supreme Court that no prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC had been issued for Jantar Mantar, despite police action against protesters. Referring to the Delhi Police's own crowd-control protocols, he said authorities are required to first issue warnings through loudspeakers, followed by water cannons, then use lathis, and resort to tear gas only if a protest turns violent. "They didn't use water cannons," he submitted, adding that armed personnel in plain clothes were also deployed. Senior advocate Shadan Farasat further alleged that even uniformed personnel lacked name tags. The petitioners identified police personnel allegedly seen in videos wielding lathis in civilian clothes and vandalising a car, arguing that accountability must extend "all the way up the ladder". Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that while conventions and rules governing crowd control exist, "they are not being implemented," adding, "There has to be some probe." The petitioners also referred to videos purportedly showing a police officer in full riot gear using an AK-47 against protesters in Bihar. (Aneesha Mathur inputs) Jul 28, 2026 11:33 ISTCJI suggests independent probe into CJP protest violenceChief Justice Surya Kant observed that the issues raised in the batch of petitions were clear and did not require detailed arguments at this stage, noting that they involved serious allegations against both the police and protesters. Referring to the material placed before the court, the CJI said he had seen reports of a journalist being "assaulted mercilessly", allegations of violence by police personnel in plain clothes, molestation of young women, the alleged assault of a woman by a senior police officer, and a fresh petition filed by senior advocate Vrinda Grover challenging the use of pellet guns. Stressing that the right to peaceful protest is protected by the Constitution, the CJI said the petitions alleged that authorities responsible for regulating the demonstrations had gone beyond their powers. At the same time, he noted that petitions filed by the families of injured police personnel alleged that officers had also come under attack. "There are always uninvited guests who enter with their own agendas and then they become the host," the CJI remarked, before asking, "Why should there not be an independent probe into these allegations?" (Aneesha Mathur inputs) Jul 28, 2026 11:30 ISTSC Hearing Live: SC takes up pleas on CJP protest violenceThe Supreme Court began hearing a batch of petitions arising out of the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) anti-NEET paper leak protests, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre alongside senior police officials. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, told the court that the cases were not confined to Delhi but also involved alleged incidents in Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur and Bihar. Opening the hearing, the bench observed that all the petitions broadly raised common issues, including the alleged use of pellet guns, which petitioners claimed left a 19-year-old protester blind, the use of electric batons, life-threatening injuries suffered by a young woman who remains in the ICU, and allegations of assaults on advocates and a media person during the police crackdown. (Aneesha Mathur inputs) Jul 28, 2026 11:09 ISTSC Hearing Live: CJP volunteer approaches SC, claims illegal detention, police harassment Junaid Malik, who served as a food volunteer during the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) anti-NEET paper leak protests in Delhi, has approached the Supreme Court alleging illegal detention, intimidation and harassment by police. In his petition, Malik claimed he was picked up by police officials in Delhi, kept inside a vehicle for five to six hours, threatened and intimidated, before being abandoned. He further alleged that the Ghaziabad Police detained his father and raided his home, while police also visited his married sister's residence in Meerut and took her father-in-law and brother-in-law into custody. The plea contends that these coercive actions were carried out without any paperwork or due legal process, and seeks directions from the Supreme Court to restrain police from taking any further coercive action against Malik and his family members. (Aneesha Mathur inputs) Jul 28, 2026 08:07 ISTDelhi Protest Crackdown SC Hearing: Relief soughtApart from seeking a nationwide ban on the use of pellet guns for civilian crowd control, the petition also seeks exemplary compensation for all those injured in the alleged pellet firing on July 20; complete medical treatment, rehabilitation and long-term care for victims; and appropriate directions to prevent the future deployment of pellet guns against civilian assemblies. (PTI) Jul 28, 2026 08:05 ISTSC Hearing Live: Fresh plea seeks ban on pellet guns, compensation for victimsA fresh petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to decommission or ban the use of pellet guns by law enforcement agencies for dispersing civilian crowds. Arguing that pellet guns are inherently unsuitable for crowd control, the petition contends that their use against peaceful assemblies fails the constitutional tests of proportionality, necessity and reasonableness, and therefore should not be permitted for civilian law enforcement. (Srishti Ojha inputs) Jul 28, 2026 08:02 ISTDelhi Protest Crackdown: Peaceful protest is constitutional right, says SCDuring a brief hearing on Monday, the Supreme Court underscored that the right to peaceful protest is a constitutionally guaranteed right and observed that the mere existence of a demonstration cannot be used to justify police brutality or a lathi-charge. Read more here... Jul 28, 2026 08:00 ISTDelhi Protest Crackdown SC Hearing: Who is hearing the petitions?A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana is hearing the batch of petitions together, with a particular focus on evolving a uniform national protocol for maintaining law and order during protests. The court is expected to examine issues ranging from the alleged police crackdown on CJP protesters and the use of pellet guns to the broader framework governing crowd-control measures and the rights of both protesters and security personnel. (Sanjay Sharma inputs) Jul 28, 2026 07:56 ISTDelhi Protest Crackdown SC Hearing: Who approached Supreme Court?Petitions filed by former IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad, Prashant Kumar and Sheikh Irshad Mansoori seek directions to decommission or ban the use of metallic kinetic projectiles, or pellet guns fired from pump action rifles, by law enforcement agencies for dispersing civilian assemblies. Kumar and Mansoori have claimed they suffered pellet injuries during the Cockroach Janta Party's Sansad Chalo protest in Delhi on July 20. Separately, the family members of ACP Kailash Singh Bisht, ASI Sandeep and Hemendra Rathi, along with Constable Dheeraj, who were allegedly injured during the clashes with protesters, have also approached the Supreme Court. (Inputs from Sanjay Sharma and PTI)