The Supreme Court has decided to establish a panel to probe incidents of alleged police excesses during last month's youth protests, instances of violence against security forces, and the potential misuse of surveillance technology during demonstrations.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court announced its intention to set up a committee to investigate incidents of alleged police brutality and misconduct during last month's youth protests, as well as instances of violence against security forces. The panel will consist of a former judge of the Supreme Court, a retired high court chief justice, and a senior retired police officer.
According to Bar and Bench, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana stated that it would pass an order on Wednesday once suggestions are received from various parties regarding the inclusion of additional members in the panel. The court also declared that videos and security camera footage of the violence during the July 20 march to Parliament will be handed over to the committee.
Chief Justice Kant, as reported by Bar and Bench, expressed his concern stating, 'Whosoever is responsible, there can be no excuse and no justification. It must be taken seriously and taken to its logical conclusion.' The panel is also expected to examine allegations of sexual assault and online harassment faced by female protesters. Additionally, the committee will look into the potential misuse of facial recognition technology during protests.
In addition, the court will consider using its extraordinary powers to quash first information reports against protesting students. However, it clarified that cases involving persons with criminal antecedents would be dealt with separately. The Supreme Court was hearing a batch of petitions alleging that the police used excessive force against protesters marching to Parliament in Delhi on July 20.
During the protest, several demonstrators were injured after the security personnel used lathis, fired tear gas and pellet guns to disperse the crowd. The petitioners also pointed out instances of the police in Bihar using allegedly excessive force against protesters who were demonstrating in solidarity with the youth agitation in Delhi.
The Delhi Police, in an affidavit before the Supreme Court, denied that it carried out mass surveillance with facial recognition technology at the Jantar Mantar protest site. The police maintained that their facial recognition system only captures individuals with prior criminal records and does not profile every person present at a gathering. The police said that after facial recognition, field verification is conducted and action is taken if it is found that the individual was present at the protest site.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, said that the police had identified more than 2,800 ‘anti-social elements’ who had allegedly infiltrated the protests.
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