New Delhi, October 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Centre on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a uniform national protocol to protect women police personnel deployed for public-order duties and manage protests across the country.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana issued notice on the petition filed by advocate Ashish Gopal Garg. The matter was tagged with a pending batch of petitions and listed for further hearing on November 3.
Filed through advocate-on-record Shweta Garg, the petition seeks directions to the Centre to formulate a comprehensive framework for ensuring the safety of women police personnel during protest deployments, preserving and authenticating electronic evidence, including AI-generated material, and independently examining allegations of misconduct by police personnel and violence against them.
The plea refers to incidents during recent protests in Delhi linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
It highlights allegations of violence against police personnel, including women officers and constables, and the circulation of digitally manipulated material on social media. The petitioner has argued that women police personnel are frequently deployed in crowded and volatile situations where they face risks with a specific gender dimension.
The petition also raises concerns about fabricated or manipulated digital material potentially being presented to investigating agencies or courts before its authenticity can be independently verified.
According to the plea, the constitutional framework requires authorities to protect peaceful assemblies while ensuring that violence, unlawful use of force and sexual misconduct are addressed in accordance with the law and on the basis of an objective assessment of reliable evidence.
The petitioner has contended that no publicly available, uniform protocol adequately addresses the safety of women police personnel during protest deployments, the reporting and redressal of sexual harassment in the field, the independent examination of complaints against police personnel, and the preservation and authentication of electronic evidence relating to protests.
The plea seeks the formulation of a Women Police Personnel Protection and Protest Management Protocol to establish uniform safeguards and procedures for handling such situations.
It also seeks directions for preserving CCTV footage, body-worn camera recordings, control-room footage and other relevant electronic evidence to ensure that material connected with protest-related incidents remains available for investigation.
In addition, the petitioner has called for a framework to authenticate disputed digital material through forensic examination, an effective complaint mechanism for women police personnel, and independent scrutiny of allegations involving police personnel.
The Supreme Court’s notice seeks the Centre’s response to the issues raised in the petition. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on November 3.
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