New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Thursday that the High Powered Enquiry Committee (HEPC) formed to examine allegations of violence at the July NEET protests at Jantar Mantar could not render any findings regarding the same due to want of materials.
The apex court also said that it was informed that the Committee hardly received any complaints regarding alleged violence against protesters and police personnel during the widespread agitations. The Committee stated that it had given notices seeking complaints from public and police personnel in 149 newspapers across the country.
The top court also asked the Committee to submit interim reports at regular intervals, further adding that petitions, videos and complaints regarding the alleged violence should be transferred to the Committee.
The HPEC formed by the apex court
The Supreme Court had, in August, formed the Committee, comprising of several prominent figures, to probe allegations of violence during the Jantar Mantar protests. The Court said that the Committee would be headed by ex-judge R Subhash Reddy.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the committee would also comprise former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court Judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya DGP L R Bishnoi.
The Jantar Mantar protests
The Jantar Mantar protests were mainly led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) against the NEET UG 2026 paper leak allegations as well as to demand accountability from the union government for the alleged lapses in examination systems.
The protests, which spread to several cities, pressed for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
As part of the protests, CJP led a march to the Parliament on July 20 which saw clashes between protesters and security personnel, who used lathis and teargas shells to disperse crowds attempting to move towards Parliament.
The agitation was called off on July 25 after Pradhan resigned and the government accepted the CJP's other demands.
(With inputs from PTI)
