Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president and senior advocate Dr Vikas Singh has written to prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Union home minister (HM) Amit Shah seeking a time-bound judicial inquiry, headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge, into the recent police action against students participating in the 'Chalo Sansad' demonstrations in Delhi, while also calling for accountability over repeated examination paper leaks across the country.
In his representation addressed to the prime minister's office (PMO) and the ministry of home affairs (MHA), Dr Singh alleged that peaceful student demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and Sansad Marg were met with 'unprovoked and disproportionate' use of force by the police. He argued that the incident reflected both excessive policing and a broader institutional failure in safeguarding the integrity of national examinations.
The senior advocate urged the Union government to constitute a judicial commission under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, headed by a 'credible' sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court to investigate the alleged police excesses as well as recurring paper-leak networks affecting competitive examinations.
Dr Singh's letter cited reports published by media organisations and eyewitness accounts alleging that over 100 protesters sustained injuries, with some requiring intensive care. It also referred to allegations that protesters were struck on the head with lathis, unidentified civilians participated in assaults alongside police personnel, women and minors were allegedly lathi-charged, journalists were obstructed from reporting, officers operated without name badges, tear gas was used extensively and hunger-striking students were forcibly removed.
The letter further alleged that advocates supporting the protesters were assaulted, including the son of senior counsel Sanjay Hegde, who is also a practising lawyer and member of the SCBA.
Dr Singh also claimed that medical professionals providing first aid to injured protesters were attacked despite not participating in the demonstrations, alleging that police personnel assaulted doctors and healthcare workers and even mistreated injured persons receiving medical attention.
According to the SCBA president, the alleged police action violated constitutional protections relating to peaceful assembly, bodily integrity, and freedom of speech, and also contravened provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, governing the dispersal of unlawful assemblies.
The letter argued that Sections 148 and 149(3) of the BNSS require the use of force only as a last resort and mandate the minimum force necessary to disperse an assembly. It further alleged that police personnel violated the Delhi police Manual by carrying out lathi-charges above the waist and failing to display mandatory identification badges.
Referring to Supreme Court jurisprudence, Dr Singh said the apex court had consistently held that the police force must remain minimal, preventive and never punitive against citizens peacefully exercising their constitutional rights.
The SCBA president argued that the protests stemmed from repeated failures by examination authorities to protect the sanctity of public recruitment and entrance examinations.
According to the letter, repeated paper leaks and examination irregularities between 2017 and 2025 affected millions of candidates across examinations such as AIIMS MBBS, SSC, CBSE board examinations, JEE Main, Army CEE, NEET-UG, UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and East Central Railway recruitment, besides several state-level recruitment examinations in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Maharashtra.
Dr Singh also questioned the effectiveness of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, contending that despite the legislation coming into force in June 2024, examination paper leaks had continued due to what he described as gaps in investigation, prosecution and accountability mechanisms.
The letter said repeated examination failures had subjected students to prolonged litigation, administrative delays, financial hardship and mental distress, adding that many aspirants had crossed the upper age limit while awaiting recruitment or examination outcomes. It also referred to concerns over rising student suicides linked to academic pressure and uncertainty.
Four key demands
Dr Singh requested the prime minister and the Union home minister to initiate four immediate measures:
1.Constitute a time-bound judicial commission headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge to investigate the police action and paper leak networks.
2.Suspend the Delhi police commissioner to facilitate an impartial inquiry.
3.Register FIRs (first information reports) and initiate action against police personnel allegedly responsible for the use of excessive force.
4.Fix administrative accountability within the ministry of education for repeated failures to safeguard the integrity of competitive examinations.
Emphasising that students represented the nation's future, Dr Singh said recurring examination failures and alleged police excesses had eroded public confidence in institutions.
"The strength of a constitutional democracy is measured by its commitment to accountability and the Rule of Law. Swift, decisive executive action is required to ensure that state institutions remain subservient to the Constitution," he stated in the letter.
The accompanying note stated that both the SCBA and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association have condemned the alleged use of force against student protesters and called for an independent inquiry, while senior counsel Kapil Sibal has also sought an independent investigation into the incident.
Surprisingly, the number of police personnel injured is more than the number of protestors injured. A pregnant lady constable was so much injured that her unborn child did not survive.
I think, there was intelligence failure and the establishment underestimated the number of protestors.