Supreme Court Reaffirms Protest Right, Calls for Protocols

The Supreme Court on Monday, July 27, 2026, strongly reaffirmed the constitutional right to peaceful protest, stating that mere agitation cannot justify police excesses such as lathi charges. The court, hearing a batch of petitions alleging excessive force against student demonstrators, called for the development of uniform national protocols for handling protests and emphasized that any allegations of police misconduct must be independently examined.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, made the observations during a hearing on petitions stemming from nationwide protests over alleged paper leaks in the NEET-UG examination and other irregularities in the education system. The court consolidated all related petitions and scheduled a comprehensive hearing for Tuesday, July 28.

Chief Justice Kant stated that the right to peaceful and lawful protest is absolutely guaranteed under the Constitution and cannot be denied. He stressed that the presence of agitation alone does not permit a lathi charge, noting that discipline is integral to the democratic process. The bench indicated the issue required an all-India...