Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday clarified that the Supreme Court never refused to hear the petition filed over the alleged police action against students protesting at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

He said the Court only asked the petitioners to follow the proper filing procedure before seeking an urgent hearing.

Responding to media reports, CJI Kant said it was incorrectly reported that the Supreme Court had declined to hear the case.

"The Supreme Court can never deny hearing of any case. It's my commitment that we are available 24 hours," he said.

The Chief Justice explained that the petitioners had initially submitted only a one-page letter instead of a properly filed petition.

"If I have not got the petition in the first place, what hearing would I give? We cannot violate the Supreme Court's filing process. I only asked them to file the petition properly," he said.

He added that once the petition was filed in the correct format, the Supreme Court accepted it for hearing.

"The law is supreme. We have to follow it. The Supreme Court will do everything within the law to ensure justice for anyone facing injustice," CJI Kant said.

Earlier in the day, a Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana agreed to hear on Monday two petitions alleging excessive police force against students protesting over the NEET paper leak and other examination irregularities.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the petitioners, told the Court that students were facing police excesses on a daily basis and sought an urgent hearing.

The protesters, led by the satirical political group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak. The protest at Jantar Mantar began on June 6 and gained national attention after activist Sonam Wangchuk joined an indefinite hunger strike on June 28, which he ended after 26 days.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has directed authorities to preserve CCTV footage and all records related to the alleged police action during the protest.

Following the controversy, the Central Government has announced a major overhaul of the National Testing Agency (NTA). Around 47 officials have been removed, and the agency's examination and outsourcing systems are being revamped to prevent future paper leaks. The reforms come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced strict measures, including fast-track courts, to deal with examination paper leak cases.