Supreme Court Refuses Urgent Hearing On Delhi Student Protests, CJI Rejects Video Evidence

The Supreme Court of India has refused to entertain an urgent plea regarding the police action taken against students protesting in Delhi, while during the hearing on Wednesday, Chief Justice Surya Kant expressed a lack of interest in the case, specifically addressing the mention of a lathi-charge incident involving members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The matter was brought before the bench by Advocate Narendra Mishra, who highlighted that the issue is deeply connected to the grievances of students affected by the NEET paper leak. However, the court remained firm in its decision not to intervene at this stage.

CJI Rejects Video Evidence and Arguments

Advocate Narendra Mishra attempted to present the gravity of the situation by mentioning that there are videos available that clearly show police excesses against the protesting students, while despite this, Chief Justice Surya Kant declined to view any video footage. The Chief Justice told the lawyer not to waste the court's time or his own. " The court explicitly stated that it had no interest in the case and no time to watch the videos provided by the legal counsel.

Delhi High Court Also Declines Immediate Intervention

The legal battle over the police action at Jantar Mantar also reached the Delhi High Court, where two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were filed. These petitions were placed for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Kariya on Wednesday. The counsel representing the petitioners argued that the incident of police crackdown had shaken the conscience of the nation, while this follows a similar stance taken by the High Court on Tuesday, where it refused an immediate hearing on a related matter, advising that the court shouldn't be dragged into such issues.

Background of the Student Protests in Delhi

For several days, students from across the country and activists of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have been organizing massive protests at Jantar Mantar and other parts of Central Delhi. The primary demand of the protesters is accountability regarding the repeated instances of examination paper leaks. They've also been calling for the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The situation escalated on Monday when the protesters planned a march to the Parliament House. However, the Delhi Police intervened to stop the march, leading to a confrontation.

Police Action and Political Fallout

The intervention by the Delhi Police involved the use of lathi-charge and tear gas to disperse the crowd, resulting in injuries to several protesters. The political temperature rose further on Tuesday when leaders of the Congress party, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest outside the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During this demonstration, Rahul Gandhi and other leaders were taken into custody. Reports indicate that Rahul Gandhi sustained minor injuries during the scuffle that broke out during the police detention process. Despite the legal challenges and the physical crackdown, the protesters continue to demand systemic changes in the examination process.