Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday (August 24, 2026) assured that women protesters can directly approach the nodal officer of the High Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) with complaints of alleged sexual molestation by police personnel during the crackdown on NEET-UG protests on July 20.
The Supreme Court’s observation came during proceedings concerning the violence and police action surrounding the protests. The HPEC is examining the circumstances connected with the events, including allegations relating to the conduct of law-enforcement personnel.
The direction gives women protesters a direct avenue to place their complaints before the committee. Rather than requiring them to navigate a separate process initially, they can approach the designated nodal officer so that their allegations can be brought before the inquiry panel.
The allegations concerning sexual misconduct are serious and will require proper examination. At this stage, however, complaints should be understood as allegations and not as established findings against individual police personnel.
The court intervention highlights the importance of allowing all affected protesters to place their accounts before the inquiry mechanism. It also underlines the need for complaints involving alleged misconduct during the protest crackdown to be examined through a fair and independent process.
The July 20 NEET-UG protests and the subsequent police action have remained under scrutiny, with questions being raised about the manner in which the demonstrations were handled. The inclusion of complaints from women protesters could broaden the scope of the issues being examined by the HPEC.
The committee investigation will ultimately be important in establishing what happened during the crackdown, whether any misconduct occurred and whether responsibility should be fixed on particular individuals.
For now, the Supreme Court’s assurance ensures that women protesters who wish to raise allegations of sexual molestation against police personnel have a formal channel through which their complaints can reach the HPEC.