July 20 Protests: Supreme Court Declines Separate Probe Into Sexual Assault Claims

 The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that a separate suo motu probe into sexual assault allegations during the July 20 student protests in the national capital is not required. The issue is already before a high-powered committee.

Senior advocate Shobha Gupta urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of alleged sexual assaults on women protesters by police personnel. She sought a distinct mechanism to investigate the widely reported allegations.

The court ruled that the existing independent committee will prioritise and examine these specific complaints. The CJI said the panel was asked to submit an interim report at the earliest.

The court specifically directed the panel to prioritise incidents of targeted violence, harassment, molestation and secondary victimisation of women. The panel will assess the medical and other support provided and the possibility of interim compensation for the victims.

Authorities were ordered to preserve all relevant digital and operational evidence. They must hand over CCTV and drone footage, body-worn camera recordings, videography, wireless communications and PCR call logs to the committee.

The committee can receive documentary evidence and representations from affected persons and is permitted to allow anonymous complaints to protect identities. The HPEC is required to submit interim findings periodically.

Its first report must cover complaints concerning the targeted violence, harassment and molestation of women protesters, alongside grievous injuries caused by police and security personnel.

School Thik Karo Campaign

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke sent identical letters directly to state education ministers. The correspondence highlighted social media visuals showing students lacking basic amenities like safe drinking water, functional toilets, proper classrooms and even benches.

Dipke criticised the poor state of public education infrastructure. "It has been 80 years since India gained Independence...No child in this country should be forced to study in such conditions. They are being treated worse than animals," Dipke wrote, according to PTI.

The youth-led political outfit requested precise records on the number of government schools renovated over the past five years while demanding greater public spending on education. The CJP also asked state administrations to identify institutions that still require minor repairs or complete reconstruction.

The letters demand transparency on human resources and financial management.

The CJP demanded estimates on how many additional schools are needed to guarantee reasonable educational access. The letters further required data on non-teaching duties assigned to educators and the availability of computers, digital-learning facilities, clean toilets and sports facilities.

Campaign Escalation and Clashes

The letters follow recent offline confrontations over public school conditions. A CJP team, including co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, was allegedly assaulted during a school visit in Rajasthan. The CJP accused BJP workers of carrying out the attack—a charge the BJP disputed—and both sides subsequently filed cross FIRs, PTI reported.

The youth-led outfit maintains its demands are issue-based rather than partisan. "This is not about politics or any one government. This is about the future of our children," Dipke told PTI. "Every child, irrespective of where they are born or how much their parents earn, deserves a safe classroom, clean drinking water, a functional washroom, a bench to sit on and a teacher to teach them," he added to the wire agency.

The CJP urged education ministries to make the requested data public and take "urgent steps" to address deficiencies on a "war footing".