India Supreme Court Probes Police Excesses Amid CJP Interrogations

The Supreme Court of India directed the High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) on Thursday to proceed with its investigation into police excesses and violence during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests of June and July 2026. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant noted that the HPEC had received almost no formal complaints despite publishing notices in 149 newspapers and launching a dedicated portal. The court ordered that all related petitions and videos be transferred to the panel to facilitate findings in the absence of new complainants.

The protests, which centered on the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, ended on July 25 after Pradhan resigned. While Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that victims must come forward personally, petitioners claimed that representations had been submitted and that no FIRs were registered regarding the violence.

Simultaneously, the Delhi Police Crime Branch interrogated CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka, Saurav Das, and Ajinkya Shinde for four hours at the Rajouri Garden office. The questioning concerned two FIRs related to an October 13 incident where party members allegedly trespassed into the denotified Jantar Mantar protest site to stage a demonstration and unfurl the national flag. Ashutosh Ranka stated the party would cooperate with the routine investigation, asserting that unfurling the national flag should not be a crime.