On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India established a five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) to investigate allegations regarding the excessive use of force by police, paramilitary forces, and other security personnel against protesters. The committee will be led by Justice R. Subhash Reddy, a former judge of the Supreme Court. This move comes in response to increasing concerns over the treatment of demonstrators during recent protests, highlighting the need for accountability in law enforcement practices.
The panel also includes former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya Director General of Police Dr L.R. Bishnoi. The committee will look into allegations of excessive use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges and tear gas, along with alleged violence against women protesters. It will also examine claims of police surveillance, whether crowd-control measures were proportionate, and whether victims were provided adequate medical assistance and compensation. At the same time, the panel will consider allegations raised by the authorities regarding violence against police personnel and damage to public property during the protests. The court was hearing a batch of petitions alleging excessive police action against students who participated in protests at Jantar Mantar and other locations across the country over alleged NEET examination paper leaks and broader concerns relating to the examination system. As the protesters attempted to march towards Parliament and cross police barricades in central Delhi, security personnel used tear gas and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
Earlier this month on August 1, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said the proposed committee would also comprise a former High Court judge and a retired Director General of Police.
