New Delhi, Jul 22: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined an urgent request for an early hearing on a plea challenging the alleged police action against students during a protest march to Parliament, with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stating that the court was not inclined to examine video footage at the mentioning stage.
The matter was mentioned before a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana. The petitioner’s counsel sought listing of the case on Thursday, alleging police brutality against students and informing the court that video evidence had been placed on record.
Responding to the request, the Chief Justice said the court was “not interested in videos” and did not have time to watch them. When the lawyer again referred to the footage and alleged assault on students, the Bench refused to entertain the plea urgently.
The petition stems from the police action during a protest march to Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon Session, when students and protesters demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities. The demonstration turned violent after protesters attempted to move towards Parliament, prompting police to use lathi charge and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the protesting organisation said the agitation would intensify if the Centre failed to meet its demands, describing the July 20 march as “just a trailer”. The organisation alleged that students were assaulted despite holding a peaceful demonstration and reiterated its demand that no FIRs be registered against protesters. (Agencies)
