SC: Priority to sexual assault complaints in NEET protest probe

The Supreme Court on Monday, August 24, said the High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC), set up to examine allegations of police violence during the NEET protests, has been directed to prioritise complaints of sexual assault faced by women protesters.

The clarification came from a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, after senior advocate Shobha Gupta urged the court to take Suo Motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault and molestation of women during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar.

Advocate Gupta also asked the bench to set up a mechanism through which alleged victims could directly submit their complaints for examination, according to the submissions made in court.

Responding to the plea, the Chief Justice said the HPEC would take up complaints of sexual assault faced by protesters on a priority basis. Citing an order passed last week, the CJI said, "The committee has been requested to examine it on a priority basis, and immediately submit an interim report."

Justice Bagchi noted that an independent writ petition had been filed on the same cause, and that the HPEC had already been tasked with examining the issue.

The fresh plea sought Suo Motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault and molestation of women during the July 20 protest. Referring to reports and accounts that were widely circulated on social media, advocate Gupta said the allegations included a lathi being jabbed into a woman's buttocks.

"I am beseeching the court to take Suo Motu cognisance of these instances," the senior advocate said, requesting that the alleged sexual assault cases be dealt with separately and on a priority basis.

Advocate Gupta further suggested that the court could designate a district judge or another appropriate authority to receive complaints directly from alleged victims, rather than routing them solely through a committee.

"I request that the sexual assault cases be taken up separately and that the court constitute, maybe not a committee, but appoint a district judge or designate someone so that the girls can actually send their complaints directly and those sexual assault cases can be taken up on a priority basis," she told the bench.

Advocate Gupta said her specific concern was about how the high-powered committee would receive complaints from alleged victims. "There should be an order providing an email ID and designating an officer to whom the complaints can be sent, and it should be given publicity," she submitted, stressing that such a mechanism would ensure the allegations reached the committee.

On August 20, the Supreme Court had constituted a five-member high-powered committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy, to examine allegations of police excesses against student protesters in Delhi as well as violence against police personnel.

The committee also includes former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla, and retired Meghalaya Director General of Police L R Bishnoi.

The panel has been tasked with examining the police's alleged use of excessive force and violence against protesters, including the deployment of pellet guns, as well as the alleged use of force and violence by protesters against police and other security personnel, according to the court's earlier order.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led Parliament march on July 20 saw clashes between protesters and security personnel, who used lathis and tear gas shells to disperse crowds, according to the report.

The student protests, which later spread to several cities, centred on a demand for the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including NEET. The agitation, which began at Jantar Mantar on June 20, ended on July 25 after Pradhan resigned and the government accepted the CJP's other demands.

(Inputs from PTI)