Supreme Court Holds HPEC Composition
A CJI Surya Kant Bench with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana refused applications to reconstitute the five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee on July CJP protest violence. Objections to a retired DGP member were called premature conjecture. First meeting was slated 15 September.
Chair: former SC judge Justice R Subhash Reddy (constituted 18 August).
Priority Order to the Committee
- Pellet-gun use.
- Targeted violence and harassment of female protesters.
- Injuries to police personnel.
- Excessive violence and property destruction on either side.
"We are constrained to observe, with some measure of disquiet, that aspersions have been cast upon the HPEC in a manner that is both premature and precipitate."
Procedure Directives
- Senior Advocate Monika Gusain and AOR C Solomon appointed amici as independent arbiters.
- HPEC to appoint a Member Secretary and file a first report at the earliest.
- Vulnerable-witness identities confidential; optional online portal for submissions.
- Broader constitutional questions, including facial recognition, reserved for the Court.
- HPEC cannot order FIRs; only the Court can.
- Next listing: 9 October 2026. Case: Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India, Diary No. 44078/2026.
Delhi High Court Closes Parallel Fact-Finding PIL
The Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL seeking a fact-finding exercise on conflicting accounts of a June lathi charge during CJP protests. Media reports alleged a charge; Delhi Police denied it. Bench: no public interest.
Parallel Track
- 15 September: Patiala House Court granted three weeks interim bail to Swatantra Bhardwaj in the Jantar Mantar assault case involving the father of a teenage CJP activist.