SC Panel To Prioritise Sexual Assault Complaints in NEET Stir
Supreme Court seeks immediate interim report on alleged police violence against women protesters
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said the high-powered inquiry committee constituted to examine allegations of police violence during the NEET protests had been asked to give priority to complaints of sexual assault on women protesters during the July 20 agitation at Jantar Mantar.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana made the observation after senior advocate Shobha Gupta urged it to take suo motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault and molestation during the protest.
Ms Gupta also sought a mechanism through which the alleged victims could submit their complaints directly to the committee.
The Chief Justice said the committee had been asked to examine the complaints on priority and submit an interim report immediately.
Justice Bagchi pointed out that a separate writ petition had been filed on the same issue and that the committee had been asked to examine it.
Citing reports and accounts circulated on social media, Ms Gupta said the allegations included a police lathi being jabbed into a woman’s buttocks.
“I am beseeching the court to take suo motu cognisance of these instances,” she said.
She suggested that the court appoint a district judge or designate another authority to receive complaints directly from the alleged victims. An email address and the details of the designated officer should be publicised, she added.
On August 20, the Supreme Court constituted the five-member committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy, to examine allegations of police excesses against student protesters in Delhi and violence against police personnel.
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 former Meghalaya DGP L.R. Bishnoi.
The committee will examine allegations of excessive police force, including the use of pellet guns. It will also investigate alleged violence by protesters against police and other security personnel.
The Cockroach Janta Party-led march to Parliament on July 20 witnessed clashes between protesters and security personnel, who used lathis and tear gas to disperse the crowd.