Apex Court Approached Over Excessive Use of Police Force
On the afternoon of July 21, 2026, a collective of public interest lawyers representing student rights organizations filed an emergency writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India before the Supreme Court of India.
The petition directly challenges the police actions at Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street on July 20.
Core Prayers in the Writ Petition
- Judicial Inquiry: Appointment of a retired Supreme Court judge to head an independent investigation into the disproportionate use of tear gas and lathi-charges against unarmed student protesters.
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Framing strict binding guidelines for law enforcement agencies when handling student-led peaceful assemblies.
- Medical Compensation: Directing the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide full financial compensation and free medical treatment for all injured student candidates.
- Quashing of Factual FIRs: Quashing of arbitrary blanket FIRs registered against student organizers under generic riot charges.
Expected Hearing Schedule
Sources within the Supreme Court registry indicated that the emergency petition has been indexed and is likely to be mentioned before the Chief Justice of India’s bench for urgent listing on Thursday, July 23.