Today, the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, clarified that the High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) constituted to investigate allegations of police violence during student protests has been directed to examine complaints of sexual assault against women protesters on priority.

The CJI also said that, under the Supreme Court’s order passed last week, the committee has been asked to submit an interim report on the allegations of sexual assault and molestation at the earliest.

The clarification came after Senior Advocate Shobha Gupta urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of alleged sexual assault incidents involving women protesters during the Jantar Mantar student protests on July 20.

Gupta told the Bench that several women had publicly alleged molestation and sexual assault by police personnel and requested the Court to separately address the complaints.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who was sitting with the CJI, pointed out that a separate writ petition concerning the issue was already pending before the Court and that the HPEC had been directed to examine the allegations.

Gupta, however, sought a separate mechanism for investigating the sexual assault complaints and suggested that a District Judge be designated to receive complaints directly from the women protesters.

Responding to the request, CJI Surya Kant referred to the Court’s August 18 order and said the committee had specifically been directed to take up the allegations involving women protesters on a priority basis and submit an interim report immediately.

Gupta also raised concerns about how the affected women could approach the committee and submit their complaints.

The CJI explained that the chairperson of the HPEC had been authorised to appoint nodal officers. Once the appointments are made, the procedure for filing complaints would be notified.

Last week, the Supreme Court constituted a five-member HPEC headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy to investigate allegations and counter-allegations of violence during student protests across the country.

The committee has been tasked with examining allegations of excessive use of force by police as well as violence by protesters.

The Court had specifically directed the committee to examine, on priority, allegations of targeted violence, harassment, molestation and secondary victimisation of female protesters.

The HPEC has also been asked to submit an interim report at the earliest on allegations of excessive police force and molestation.