SC Bar Bodies Condemn Police Action on Protesting Students, Seek Independent Inquiry

Supreme Court bar associations SCBA and SCAORA condemned police action against students and lawyers protesting NEET irregularities at Jantar Mantar. Calling peaceful dissent a constitutional right, both bodies demanded a time-bound, impartial inquiry into the "excessive use of force."

New Delhi: Two Supreme Court bar bodies on Wednesday condemned the police action on students and lawyers during the July 20 protests in Jantar Mantar and called for an impartial inquiry on the “excessive use of force” and fixing accountability.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), headed by its president and senior advocate Vikas Singh, in a resolution, said the police action left several students and members of the legal fraternity, including members of the association, injured.

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In a separate statement, the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA), expressed deep concern over “reports and visuals showing the use of force by Delhi Police against students and young protesters who had assembled to peacefully voice their grievances over the integrity of public examinations and the future of the country’s youth”.

The SCBA resolution, issued by its secretary Pragya Baghel said, “The use of excessive and disproportionate force against peaceful students and members of the Bar is deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable in a democratic society.”

The bar body urged the authorities concerned to conduct an immediate, impartial and time-bound inquiry into the incident, identify those responsible for the alleged excessive use of force, and initiate appropriate action in accordance with law.

It also called on the authorities to ensure proper medical treatment and assistance for all injured students and members of the legal fraternity, while taking necessary steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

“The association stands in solidarity with all those injured and reiterates its commitment to protecting constitutional rights, human dignity and the rule of law,” it said.

The SCORA, in its resolution, also said, “In a constitutional democracy, peaceful dissent is not an act of defiance but an exercise of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution. While the State is empowered to maintain public order, every restriction on these freedoms must satisfy the constitutional requirements of legality, necessity and proportionality.”

It urged the authorities to ensure that allegations of excessive force were independently and impartially examined, those injured received immediate medical assistance, and future engagement with peaceful protesters was guided by restraint, dialogue and constitutional values.

“The strength of our Republic lies not in suppressing dissent but in protecting it within the framework of the Constitution. The true measure of constitutional governance is not how the State responds to agreement, but how it responds to peaceful disagreement,” it said.

On Monday, thousands of students demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue and alleged irregularities in the examination system attempted to march to Parliament but were pushed back with tear gas and batons.