The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed states to release minors detained during youth protests against alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive examinations, as well as those with no prior criminal record, Live Law reported.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant was hearing a batch of petitions alleging that police used excessive force against protesters who marched towards Parliament in Delhi on July 20.
Several demonstrators were injured during the protest after security personnel used lathis, fired tear gas and allegedly deployed pellet guns to disperse the crowd.
The petitioners also highlighted instances of alleged police excesses in Bihar, where protesters had gathered in solidarity with the youth agitation in Delhi.
On Saturday, three protesters were injured after police allegedly opened fire on demonstrators in Bihar's Siwan district.
Following the incidents, a batch of petitions was filed before the Supreme Court seeking nationwide guidelines to regulate police action during protests. The pleas also called for a ban on the deployment of plainclothes personnel for crowd-control duties.
The petitioners further sought guidelines governing the use of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which empowers authorities to issue orders in urgent cases involving public nuisance or apprehended danger.
They also urged the court to order an independent investigation into the police action during the July 20 protest in Delhi.
During Tuesday's hearing, the Supreme Court observed that it would consider setting up a high-powered investigation team to conduct a "fair and independent" inquiry into allegations of police excesses, The Hindu reported.
"The allegations made by the petitioners prima facie make out a case for an independent probe," the newspaper quoted Chief Justice Kant as saying. He added that the inquiry should be "scientific and evidence-based", stressing that the court did not want an investigation limited to "only prima facie findings".
The bench also directed police authorities to preserve all CCTV footage, drone footage and camera recordings related to the protests as a measure of "abundant precaution".
On Monday, the Supreme Court had orally observed that the right to protest peacefully is guaranteed by the Constitution and that excessive use of force by police against agitators cannot be justified.
"Just because there is an agitation does not mean there should be lathi-charge," Chief Justice Kant had said, emphasising that "self-evolved discipline is needed, which is essential to the democratic process."