- Chief Justice Surya Kant clarified the Supreme Court's stance on urgent petitions on police action in Delhi
- The court recommended proper petition filing instead of immediate hearing requests via brief letters
- The Supreme Court will hear petitions on alleged police excesses during student protests on Monday
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant today explained the context behind the Supreme Court's remark to petitioners not to "waste" the top court's time, when they asked for an urgent listing of a petition on Wednesday challenging alleged police action against protesting students in Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
"It was reported wrongly that the Supreme Court declined to hear the petition. The Supreme Court can never deny hearing of any case. It's my commitment we are available 24 hours," Chief Justice Kant told NDTV.
"If I have not got the petition in the first place, what hearing would I give? If they give a one-page letter and seek a hearing on it, that's not the way. We can't violate the Supreme Court's process of filing a petition. I told them they should file the petition properly. But they wanted it immediately. So, I had to send a message to them to file a proper petition," the Chief Justice said.
He said the Supreme Court today "welcomed" the petition in its proper form. "The law is supreme. We have to follow it," Chief Justice Kant said. "I want to tell the citizens of the country that the Supreme Court will do everything in its power under the law to give justice to anyone who faces any kind of injustice," he added.
Also read: "Demon Out Of Bag": Top Court Bans Recording, Sharing Videos From Proceedings
Earlier today, a bench of Chief Justice Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana agreed to hear on Monday two petitions alleging police excesses on students protesting over the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities.
"The police are using excessive force against the students. The court stands between us and the police," senior lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan told the Supreme Court. He added the matter is urgent as the incidents are allegedly happening daily.
The protesters have been seeking the resignation of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak. They have organised under the satirical political group, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), in central Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
On July 22, the Delhi High Court ordered the authorities to preserve all records including CCTV footage and videography linked to the alleged police action.
The protest began on June 6. It gained wider attention after Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk joined with an indefinite hunger strike on June 28, which he ended last night after 26 days.
Also read: 'How Is This For Publicity?' High Court To Centre On Police Brutality Plea
Following the protest, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will be completely overhauled over the next month in a big move by the government. At least 47 people have been removed from the testing body. Action will be taken against some of them, sources said, without giving details about their roles or designations.
One of the key changes includes tweaking the NTA's outsourcing methods in order to ensure a leak-proof system, sources said a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced major steps such as fast-track courts to try paper leak cases.
The Centre set up the NTA in 2017 as an autonomous and self-sustained testing body to conduct entrance examinations for admission and fellowship in higher educational institutions.
