The Supreme Court has constituted a five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy, to examine allegations of police excesses against student protesters in Delhi and allegations of violence against police personnel.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the committee would also include 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.
The bench said the committee had been constituted keeping in mind the individual expertise and experience of each member, as well as the overall diversity of the panel. It said it was confident that the committee’s recommendations would be of invaluable assistance to the court, and that it would be able to undertake a comprehensive assessment of all the issues that merited consideration.
The top court clarified that the inquiry would not be a one-time exercise. It directed the committee to carry out a continuous and periodic assessment of the issues involved and to submit its interim findings from time to time.
The bench said the committee should treat the alleged incidents of targeted violence, harassment and molestation of female protesters as a priority. It said the panel should also assess the grievous harm and injury allegedly caused to protesters by police and security personnel, and examine aspects such as the chain of command behind such actions, those responsible for them and whether any existing laws, rules or norms were breached in the use of force.
The Cockroach Janta Party-led march to Parliament on July 20 in Delhi saw clashes between protesters and security personnel, with police using lathis and tear gas shells to disperse crowds attempting to move towards Parliament.