Apex court orders release of detained protesters without criminal records and seeks preservation of key evidence
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed states not to take any coercive action against students who participated in Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests demanding the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana clarified that while police may continue to register First Information Reports (FIRs), no coercive steps should be taken against protesters until further orders.
The Court also ordered the immediate release of detained protesters who do not have any criminal antecedents. However, it excluded individuals with prior criminal records from the relief and did not specify what action, if any, would be taken in their cases.
The directions came while the apex court heard a batch of petitions alleging excessive police action during protests that began at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and later spread to Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.
The petitions alleged that students protesting against the alleged NEET-UG paper leak were subjected to lathi charges, tear gas, pellet guns and electric weapons, claiming that their fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19, 20 and 21 of the Constitution were violated.
Observing that the allegations warranted closer scrutiny, the Bench said there appeared to be a prima facie case for an independent and impartial investigation into the police action.
The Supreme Court also directed authorities to preserve all evidence related to the protests, including CCTV footage, drone recordings, body-camera videos, wireless communication logs and Police Control Room (PCR) records.
In addition, the Court instructed police to preserve digital data relating to protesters and ensure that no personal information or identifying details are placed in the public domain.
The Court has directed the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police (DGPs) concerned to appear at the next hearing, which has been scheduled for August 3.
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