Panel asked to prioritise sexual assault cases faced by women protesters.: CJI

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday said the high-powered panel constituted to examine the allegations of police violence during the recent student protests has been urged to take up on priority the complaints of sexual assault faced by women protesters.

As per last week's order, the committee must submit an interim report on sexual assault complaints at the earliest, CJI said after senior advocate Shobha Gupta requested the Supreme Court's suo motu cognizance of the cases of sexual assault during the Jantar Mantar protests led by Cockroach Janta Party on July 20.

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Last week, the Supreme Court constituted a five-member panel, headed by retired SC judge R Subhash Reddy, to probe accusations of police excesses against protesters. Gupta said there are widely reported complaints of girls facing sexual assault from police personnel.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi, a member of the bench headed by the CJI, said an independent writ petition was filed on the same cause, and the high-powered panel has been asked to examine the issue. Gupta, however, requested that sexual assault cases be investigated separately, and a district judge be designated before whom women can submit their complaints directly.

CJI Kant then pointed out that the order dated August 18 has specifically mentioned this issue. "The committee has been requested to examine it on a priority basis, and immediately submit an interim report," he said.