New Delhi, July 22: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to urgently list a petition seeking judicial intervention over alleged police action against student protesters during a demonstration in the national capital, with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant refusing to entertain the plea on an urgent basis.
According to reports, the petition was mentioned before the Bench alleging that Delhi Police used excessive force against students participating in a protest demanding reforms in the examination system and accountability over alleged examination paper leaks. The petitioner also sought the Court’s intervention regarding the treatment of the protesters.
During the mentioning of the matter, the Chief Justice reportedly told the counsel, “Don’t waste our time, and don’t waste your time,” while declining the request for urgent listing. When the lawyer referred to videos allegedly showing police excesses, the CJI observed that the Court was “not interested in videos” and did not have time to watch them.
The development comes a day after the Delhi High Court also declined to grant urgent hearing to a similar plea concerning the alleged police action during the protest, indicating that the matter would follow the normal course of judicial listing.
The student protest was organised to raise concerns over examination-related issues, including alleged paper leaks and demands for reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA), following which allegations of police excesses surfaced during the demonstration. Authorities, however, have contested allegations of misconduct.(KNC)
