New Delhi, August 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy will head a five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) constituted by the Supreme Court to investigate allegations of police excesses during a students’ march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament on July 20.
The other members of the committee are former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former Central Bureau of Investigation Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and former Meghalaya Director General of Police Dr L.R. Bishnoi.
In its order, the Supreme Court clarified that the committee’s constitution would not prevent police authorities or other security forces from taking administrative or disciplinary action against officers found to have violated applicable conduct rules.
The panel has been tasked with examining allegations of excessive force, including the use of pellet guns, electric batons, lathi charges and tear gas, and whether such measures were proportionate to protesters’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed the committee to investigate allegations that police and other agencies used excessive force and violence without adequate warning or proportionality, allegedly causing severe injuries, including some described as grievous and lasting.
The HPEC will also examine whether police and security personnel were wearing proper uniforms and visible nameplates while making arrests or using force during crowd-control operations. The issue is intended to address accountability and enable identification of individual personnel.
The Chief Justice clarified that broader constitutional questions concerning facial recognition technology, surveillance and privacy would be decided by the Supreme Court itself and would not fall within the committee’s mandate.
The court has directed police authorities, paramilitary forces and other investigating agencies to provide the HPEC with all relevant evidence. This includes CCTV and drone footage, body-worn camera recordings, other videography, wireless communication records and PCR call logs connected with the student protests. The agencies had earlier been directed on July 28, 2026, to preserve the material and have now been asked to extend full cooperation to the committee.
The panel will also examine allegations of violence, harassment and molestation involving women protesters, arrangements for medical assistance and compensation for injured protesters, and the use of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
It will further examine whether Section 152 of the BNSS was invoked in a manner that could have suppressed peaceful political dissent.
The Supreme Court has directed the committee to complete its inquiry and deliberations and submit its First Interim Report at the earliest.
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