Chief justice says no petition filed, rejects media claim

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday dismissed as false media reports that he had refused to list a petition challenging police action against student protesters in Delhi, clarifying that no formal writ petition on the matter had ever been filed before the Supreme Court. The controversy stemmed from an oral mention made by advocate Narendra Mishra on July 22, which the CJI said was based on a letter representation, not a registered case.

Addressing the court, Justice Kant criticized what he called irresponsible and reckless reporting. He stated that in the preceding two days, a completely false statement was made that a matter was filed, and the media reported that the Chief Justice refused to list it without verifying the facts. He explained that as of Friday morning, not a single page of a formal petition had been filed with the court's registry, and a representation could not be treated as a writ petition. The CJI made these remarks while senior advocate Shoeb Alam was mentioning an unrelated matter for listing.

The underlying issue involves allegations of excessive force by Delhi Police during a student protest organized by the Cockroach Janta Party on July 20. The...