The Supreme Court on Monday directed its High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) to give priority to complaints of alleged sexual assault involving women protesters during the NEET protests.
The direction came during a hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.
Court asks panel to act on complaints
Senior advocate Shobha Gupta urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault and molestation during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar.
She also sought a separate mechanism through which alleged victims could directly submit their complaints for examination.
The Chief Justice said the HPEC had already been asked to examine the allegations on a priority basis and submit an interim report.
Justice Bagchi also noted that a separate writ petition concerning the same issue had been filed and that the committee had been directed to examine it.
Plea seeks direct complaint mechanism
Gupta referred to accounts of alleged assaults circulated on social media and urged the court to ensure that complaints from alleged victims could reach the committee directly.
She suggested that an email address and a designated officer could be provided for receiving complaints, with details of the mechanism being widely publicised.
Gupta also requested that allegations of sexual assault be considered separately and on a priority basis, given the nature of the complaints.
Five-member panel formed by SC
The Supreme Court had constituted the five-member HPEC on August 20 to examine allegations of police excesses against student protesters in Delhi as well as alleged violence against police and security personnel.
The committee is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy.
Its other members are 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 DGP L R Bishnoi.
Panel to examine violence during protests
The committee has been tasked with examining allegations of excessive force by police against protesters, including the reported use of pellet guns.
It will also look into allegations of violence by protesters against police officers and other security personnel.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led Parliament march on July 20 witnessed clashes between protesters and security forces, following which police used lathis and tear gas to disperse the crowds.
The protests, which began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 and later spread to other cities, included demands for the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including NEET.
The agitation ended on July 25 after Pradhan resigned and the government accepted other demands raised by the CJP.
(With inputs from PTI)
