Supreme Court to hear police force case on July 27

The Supreme Court has scheduled an emergency hearing for Monday, July 27, to address petitions alleging excessive use of police force against student protesters demonstrating nationwide over leaks of national examination papers and irregularities in the testing system. The court’s decision on July 24 followed an urgent request from senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who argued the alleged violence was ongoing and required immediate judicial intervention.

The two petitions center on actions taken during a major protest in Delhi on July 20, when thousands of students organized by the Cockroach Janta Party attempted to march toward Parliament. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd, citing attempts to breach barricades and alleged stone-pelting. Widespread allegations of excessive force followed, documented in numerous videos circulated online, including claims of injuries sustained from pellet guns and instances of alleged misconduct against female protesters.

Chief Justice Surya Kant, heading a bench that included Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, agreed to list the petitions after Sankaranarayanan argued that "police are using excessive force against...