The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered states to release detained protesters under 18 who lack criminal records and barred coercive action against students involved in recent NEET-related demonstrations.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant issued notices to the Centre, Delhi and several state governments while preserving the right of police to continue investigating registered FIRs without arresting eligible student participants in the interim.
The court directed authorities to retain CCTV, drone, body-camera and wireless communication records that might bear on allegations of brutality. It also told agencies not to publish personal or biometric data harvested from surveillance systems.
Senior advocates told the bench that minors remained in custody in some states despite public assurances to withdraw cases. The court indicated it may consider an independent probe if responses fail to satisfy fairness concerns.
The order landed the same day Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim challenged facial recognition use at the Delhi protest venue.
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Sources:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-neet-jantar-mantar-cjp-delhi-protest-police-excesses-hearing-updates-july-28-2026/article71275783.ece