Supreme Court urges counselling and restraint in student protests

The Supreme Court of India, in a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, agreed to hear petitions seeking action against the organisers of the July 20 “Sansad Chalo” march, which turned violent. The Court repeatedly urged law‑enforcement agencies to exercise restraint, counsel and listen to young demonstrators rather than respond aggressively. Chief Justice Kant said, “The most powerful tool is listening,” and added that “we need to tread carefully so that these youngsters do not indulge in violence.”

Petitions filed by retired Air Force officers, including Maneesh Kumar Solanki, argued that allowing protestors to march to Parliament without permission set a dangerous precedent and called for accountability of the organisers. The Court warned that an aggressive state response could aggravate the situation and trigger further unrest, citing concerns that similar protests could spread to other states. The bench also linked the case to other pending petitions concerning student protests over the NEET paper leak and related incidents, emphasizing the need for police restraint and dialogue to prevent escalation.