Jantar Mantar protests: HPEC received hardly any complaints, SC told

New Delhi, The Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) probing alleged violence and police excesses during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests at Jantar Mantar has so far received hardly any complaints from people affected by the violence, the apex court was informed on Thursday.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the HPEC, headed by a former Supreme Court judge, was currently unable to arrive at any finding on the violence during the July 20 protests due to want of material.

The top court directed that petitions, videos and complaints related to the violence be transferred to the panel, which also comprises former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya DGP L R Bishnoi.


It asked the committee to submit interim reports at regular intervals.

The panel informed the court that it had issued notices in 149 newspapers inviting complaints regarding the violence during the CJP-led march to Parliament on July 20 in Delhi. However, hardly any complaints were received online or physically.

It said it had again invited complaints on October 21, reiterating details of its online portal and office address.

The top court in August ordered the constitution of the committee while hearing a batch of pleas alleging police excesses against student protesters during the agitation spearheaded by the CJP, alongside allegations of violence against police personnel.

The march had witnessed clashes between protesters and security personnel, who used lathis and tear gas shells to disperse crowds attempting to move towards Parliament.

The student-led protests, which spread to several cities, centred on the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The agitation began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 and was called off on July 25 after Pradhan resigned, and the government accepted the CJP's other demands.