Youth protests: SC orders release of detained minors, students with no criminal record

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed states to release minors taken into custody during the youth protests against the alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive examinations, as well as those without any prior criminal record, Live Law reported.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant was hearing a batch of petitions alleging that the police used excessive force against protesters marching to Parliament in Delhi on July 20.

During the protest, several demonstrators were injured after the security personnel used lathis, fired tear gas and pellet guns to disperse the crowd.

The petitioners also pointed out instances of the police in Bihar using excessive force against protesters who were demonstrating in solidarity with the youth agitation in Delhi.

On Saturday, three protesters were injured after the police opened fire on demonstrators in Bihar’s Siwan district.

Following this, a batch of petitions was filed in the Supreme Court, seeking nationwide guidelines to regulate police action during protests, including a ban on the deployment of plainclothes personnel for crowd-control duties.

The petitioners also sought guidelines to regulate the use of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The provision grants the authorities the power to issue orders in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger.

Further, the petitioners urged the court to order an...

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