Supreme Court forms 5-member committee led by ex-SC judge to probe student protest violence

The Court constituted a High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) to conduct an independent and impartial investigation into these incidents.

Who it concerns: Petitioner: Shaileendra Mani Tripathi; Respondents: Union of India & Ors.; Bench: Hon'ble The Chief Justice, Hon'ble Mr. Justice Joymalya Bagchi, Hon'ble Mrs. Justice V. Mohana.

What the court decided

• Constituted a 5-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) to investigate the alleged violence.
• Appointed Hon'ble Mr. Justice (Retd.) R. Subhash Reddy as Chairperson.
• Appointed Hon'ble Mr. Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, Hon'ble Mrs. Justice Shalinder Kaur, Shri Rishi Kumar Shukla, and Dr. L.R. Bishnoi as members.
• Directed the HPEC to consider issues including the use of excessive force, pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges, and tear gas against protestors.

Also in the document

• The Court noted that the HPEC was constituted to streamline proceedings and assist the Court through periodic reports.
• The Court previously directed (on 28.07.2026) the release of children below 18 years detained in connection with the protests, excluding those with criminal antecedents for grave offences.
• The Court directed the preservation of personal information and digital data of protestors collected during the protests.