An advocate has approached the Supreme Court alleging that he was assaulted and threatened by Delhi Police officers when he visited the Nizamuddin Police Station on July 23 to seek the release of students detained during the Jantar Mantar protests over the alleged exam paper leak.

The application has been filed by Advocate Manik Gupta, who practises before several courts in Delhi, including the Supreme Court. He has sought to intervene in the pending case before the top court concerning the alleged use of force against student protesters.

According to Gupta, he went to the police station late on July 23 after receiving distress calls from students who had been detained. He alleged that instead of being allowed to assist them, the Station House Officer (SHO) threatened him and directed police personnel to detain him as well.

Gupta claimed that he was taken to a room inside the police station, where a police officer allegedly grabbed him by the neck, slapped him and punched him. Even after he identified himself as a lawyer, he was allegedly abused and told that he would be "taught a lesson."

He further alleged that the SHO later threatened to register an FIR against him and even called his father, questioning why he was out on the streets late at night. Gupta said he was eventually released only after fellow lawyers reached the police station.

After his release, Gupta said he underwent medical examination at Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) Hospital, where a Medico-Legal Case (MLC) was prepared. He claimed that the medical report recorded injuries that support his allegations of custodial violence.

The advocate also stated that he submitted a complaint to the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East), but no FIR has been registered so far despite his complaint alleging cognisable offences such as wrongful confinement, grievous hurt and criminal intimidation.

In his plea, Gupta has asked the Supreme Court to order an independent investigation under the supervision of a retired judge or another independent authority. He has also sought departmental action against the police officers concerned and directions to preserve CCTV footage from the Nizamuddin Police Station for the relevant period.

The intervention application has been filed in Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India, a pending petition dealing with police action against student protesters. The matter is scheduled to be heard by a Bench led by the Chief Justice of India.

The application has been filed through Advocate Rahul Gupta.