Supreme Court of India Rejects Plea to Reconstitute Probe Committee

The Supreme Court of India on August 25 heard an application from petitioners seeking to reconstitute a five-member High-Powered Expert Committee (HPEC) tasked with investigating violence during student-led protests. The HPEC, led by retired Justice R Subhash Reddy, is probing allegations of police excesses—including the use of lathi charges, teargas, and pellet guns—as well as injuries to police personnel and property damage.

The protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party, began on June 20 at Jantar Mantar and extended to Bihar. Demonstrators protested competitive examination irregularities, specifically the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), and demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned on July 25. A significant clash occurred during a July 20 march to Parliament.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the request to modify the committee, describing the application as mischievous and arguing that the court is not a political platform. Chief Justice Surya Kant defended the selection of the committee members as the best available persons and assured that the probe would operate under the court's supervision. The court will hear the application alongside the main batch of petitions in September.