Supreme Court orders 5-member committee to probe police action at Jantar Mantar

New Delhi | Delhi Lookout

The Supreme Court has taken a big step regarding the student protest on July 20 at Jantar Mantar and the police action during it. The top court has set up a 5-member high-powered fact-finding committee to conduct an impartial and independent probe into the entire episode. The committee will examine whether police, paramilitary forces and other security personnel used excessive force against the protesters.

The committee will be headed by former Supreme Court judge R Subhash Reddy. The other members of the committee are former chief justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Ravi Shankar Jha, former judge of Delhi High Court Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya DGP Dr L.R. Bishnoi.

What are the allegations?

The committee will look into allegations of use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathicharge and tear gas without adequate warning. Also under the scanner are allegations of surveillance of protesters, alleged violation of right to privacy and violence, harassment or molestation of women protesters.

The committee will also consider the need to provide immediate medical attention and interim financial assistance to the injured. The alleged attacks on police, damage to public and private property and vehicles, and sufferings of security personnel and their families who were injured in the line of duty will also be recorded during the protest.

Evidence will be collected from CCTV to wireless logs.

CCTV footage, drone videos, body-camera recordings and wireless logs will be made available to the committee to widen the probe. Victims and witnesses will also be given the facility to file complaints while keeping their identity confidential.

The committee will give priority to issues related to women violence, serious injuries and accountability of police action in particular in its initial report.

What did the Supreme Court say at the last hearing?

In the August 18, 2026 hearing, the Supreme Court had made serious observations on the police action, saying the right to peaceful protest is important. The court had made it clear that lathicharge cannot be justified merely on the ground of demonstration.

A bench headed by CJI Surya Kant had said that no excuse or justification can be accepted for those responsible and it is necessary to take the matter seriously and take it to its logical conclusion.

The 5-member committee's probe is now expected to clarify what exactly happened at Jantar Mantar on July 20, the level of force used and who bears responsibility if rules are violated.

The next hearing of the case will be on September 10, 2026.

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