NEW DELHI: Supreme Court will on Wednesday constitute a high-powered committee led by a retired SC judge and comprising a former HC chief justice and a senior police officer to inquire into allegations and counter-allegations on police action on student protesters at the CJP-led Parliament march July 20, and recommend guidelines for graded use of force to control unruly agitators.A bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said they had obtained consent of a former SC judge and a retired HC CJ but were not giving names as it might lead to people passing opinion in favour or against.The bench said it had also got consent of a former CBI director and a former DGP of a state, and asked the counsel for petitioners whether it would be better to have a former CBI director or an ex-DGP in the inquiry committee.Solicitor general Tushar Mehta and counsel for petitioners — senior advocates N Hariharan, Vrinda Grover, Shadan Farasat and Gopal Sankaranarayanan — have been asked to give suggestions by Tuesday evening on the terms of reference of the committee. “We will consider all the suggestions and pass an order on Wednesday,” the bench said.“The committee will give immediate audience to any victim to place their version. We will await their recommendations and pass required interim orders after hearing the parties,” the bench said.Police affidavit in apex court silent on use of pellet gunsAt the same time, SC also issued notice on a petition which sought fastening of accountability on the organisers of the protest that led to violence and damage to public property.Grover raised the issue of alleged illegal use of pellet guns against student protesters which left two persons injured. She said one of them is required to be compensated as he is an artist who, having suffered an eye injury, can’t earn a living.Significantly, the Delhi Police affidavit is completely silent on the use of pellet guns, possibly because it could have been used by other central forces. SC said the committee will examine this issue also and recommend if interim compensations are to be required.SC said it will direct authorities to hand over the entire evidence, consisting of videos, CCTV camera footage and other digital as well as documentary records which it had directed to be preserved, to the committee immediately to allow it to commence inquiry in the right earnest.Police in its affidavit said it will fully cooperate with the committee in the inquiry and provide all details to show that use of force “was done in a graded manner, strictly in accordance with law and but for the use of reasonable force depending on the situation, it would not have been possible to control law and order”.“Delhi Police acted bona fide, lawfully and strictly in discharge of its statutory obligations to maintain public order, protect Parliament House and other vital installations, safeguard public servants performing sovereign functions, and ensure safety of citizens,” it asserted.There is disturbing visual evidence of big groups of protesters targeting police officials, who were isolated from their colleagues, with stones, sticks, beating them up without any provocation almost in a lynching fashion, the affidavit said, adding that “it always presumes that students will not do any such criminal acts”. Multiple videos show protesters pulling off protective gear worn by police officers, dragging them, removing their helmets and deliberately pushing them to stone pavements, thus causing injuries to 248 officers and personnel, including women police officers, it said.
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It said the petitioners have used selective photographs, incomplete video clips, unverified media and social media reports, authenticity of which has not been independently verified and allegations, which paint a one sided picture. “We want to bring the complete sequence of events based on contemporaneous official records, intelligence inputs, deployment records, videography, CCTV footage, wireless logs, daily diary entries and medical records generated and maintained during the life of the incident,” it said.
