Supreme Court Clarifies States May Withdraw Cases Against Paper Leak Protesters
2 sources · India
Who reported this
- The Indian Express
- Hindustan Times
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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Every source for this story reports from India.
The Supreme Court of India clarified on Monday that state governments, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi, are permitted to close or withdraw police cases against students who participated in protests against paper leaks. This clarification modifies a July 28 order by narrowing the definition of criminal antecedents. The court ruled that protection from such cases will not extend only to those involved in grave and heinous offences, rather than any general criminal record.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the Delhi government, agreed with this interpretation and stated that peaceful protesters should not be equated with hardened offenders. However, Mehta informed the court that police identified 2,738 individuals with histories of murder, rape, and child abuse who visited the protest site at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Saurav Das, a spokesperson for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), stated that the court has removed previous confusions. He called upon the government and BJP/NDA-ruled states to honor assurances made on July 25 that protesters would not be targeted.
The court is currently hearing petitions regarding alleged police excesses during a July 20 march to Parliament, as well as petitions from injured police personnel and journalists. To address these allegations, the bench is considering the appointment of an independent probe, potentially through a single-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) or a judge-led panel.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- The center-leaning report focused on the legal specifics of the court's clarification and the specific number of individuals with serious criminal records present at the protest.
- Centre-right
- The center-right leaning report emphasized the reactions of the CJP and provided more detail regarding the court's deliberation over the structure of the investigative panel.
Sources
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