Supreme Court Asks Enquiry Panel on July 20 Protest Abuses to Begin Fact-Finding Despite Few Complaints

The Supreme Court on November 5, 2026 perused the Action Taken Report dated October 31 filed by the High Powered Enquiry Committee set up to inquire into allegations of police brutality and sexual abuse of women during the July 20 violence that followed demonstrations against the NEET-UG 2026 question paper leaks and culminated in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister. The Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant said “very few complaints” had been received directly on the Committee’s online portal. No complaints had arrived by email, post or physical delivery to its offices. In the same order the Court allowed petitioners before it to forward whatever material including video clips they held on the violence to the enquiry committee for consideration. It directed the panel to begin work on available material and file its first fact-finding report within a month.

Chaired by former apex court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy, the Committee was constituted in August by the Supreme Court. It launched its online portal three weeks ago in mid-October. The Action Taken Report said the poor response came despite repeated public notices that grievances would be kept confidential and would be accessible only to the Chairperson and members of the Committee. Complaints could be filed anonymously without disclosing names, phone numbers, addresses or Aadhaar details. The portal provided separate windows for affected protesters and police personnel.

“The materials or information forwarded by the parties may be examined by the HPEC,” the Court ordered. The Bench said the Committee could examine the complaints on hand and proceed as more trickle in rather than wait for further submissions.

Panel told to seek police records

Advocate Vrinda Grover told the Court that police authorities had not yet shared any information, evidence or material with the Committee. She asked, “If pellet guns were fired, who authorised it… what is the order… where is the ammunition register... The HPEC report does not seem to show as if the authorities have provided any such material. Why have they not placed the records before the HPEC.” The Chief Justice said pleas seeking such information should be considered by the Committee and responses from the authorities must be recorded without further delay. “The Committee need not wait indefinitely. Whatever material comes, whosoever needs to respond, let them give responses. We would like the Committee to now start giving fact-finding reports,” the Chief Justice recorded in the order.

Senior advocate N. Hariharan said legal questions such as whether “monitoring or surveillance of protesters, if undertaken, was consistent with their constitutional rights to privacy and free assembly” should not be left to the Committee. He said, “The Court itself has to look into these questions. The Committee cannot look into such substantial issues affecting fundamental rights.” The Court said relevant findings of the Committee should ordinarily be shared with all parties unless circumstances required confidentiality. Police had cracked down in Delhi on a protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party, leaving several people injured. The matter will be taken up again in December.