India Supreme Court Refuses to Reconstitute Panel Probing Protest Violence

The Supreme Court of India has refused to reconstitute a high-powered committee investigating violence and alleged police excesses during student-led protests in Delhi in July, dismissing objections to the panel as premature and based on conjecture. In a September 10 order uploaded online on Tuesday, a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stated that the High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) was established to assist the court with fairness and transparency, not to advocate for any party. The court said it was "not inclined to effect any alteration in the constitution of the Committee, particularly where the prayer for such reconstitution proceeds on nothing more than conjecture and preconceived notions." The five-member HPEC was formed on August 18 to examine allegations of excessive police force against protesters during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) march to Parliament on July 20, as well as claims of violence by protesters against security personnel. The committee is chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy and includes former judges and police officials.