Four words from the Chief Justice of India have ignited a fresh debate amid the ongoing anti-NEET protests.
While declining an urgent hearing on allegations of police excesses during Monday's protest march, the Chief Justice remarked, "Don't waste our time." The Supreme Court is fully empowered to decide which matters warrant urgent consideration, but the choice of words has triggered discussion over how institutions communicate during moments of public unrest.
The remark comes months after another phrase associated with the Chief Justice-"cockroaches"-became widely discussed and was later adopted by sections of the protest movement as a rallying point.