NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday sharply challenged the Supreme Court’s observations on the use of pellet guns during student protests. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das accused the court of failing to rigorously examine whether the police action against peaceful demonstrators on July 20 was justified.Responding to the hearing on petitions related to the Delhi protest crackdown, Das said the court’s position raised serious questions about the use of force against non-violent protesters and who authorised it.“The Supreme Court has stated that pellet guns may be used in exceptional circumstances. First, did the peaceful protesters actually create such exceptional circumstances on July 20th?… There was no situation that warranted the use of pellet guns…. The Supreme Court should have rigorously examined whether the circumstances truly justified an action that caused a person to lose their eyesight. The second point is: Can pellet guns be used against peaceful protesters under any circumstances?... Ultimately, the Home Minister was responsible for supervision and issuing orders… The Supreme Court, too, needs to give serious and strict consideration to these matters, rather than simply rubber-stamping or endorsing such measures,” Das said.His remarks came after the Supreme Court heard a petition challenging the Delhi Police’s use of pellet guns during the July 20 march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament, during which several protesters were injured, and some allegedly suffered permanent loss of eyesight.The CJP has maintained that the march was peaceful and that the police response was disproportionate.According to the party, police attempted to stop the procession through a lathi charge and the firing of pellet guns. Das sought to place responsibility squarely on the government rather than on procedural justifications for the use of force.“The opposition is doing its job. Its role is precisely to ask questions and hold the government accountable. I saw that a discussion was taking place in Parliament. There ought to be a discussion on who issued the orders on July 20th, and who will answer for the conduct of the police towards the protesters and the brutality inflicted upon them? Naturally, the Home Minister should provide an answer regarding this matter,” he said.
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The remarks came as the CJP has continued to question the handling of the July 20 protests in both political and legal forums. Earlier, Das had also criticised a separate Supreme Court interim order in a batch of PILs related to the protests, arguing that it could allow governments to continue investigations against protesters despite what he described as the Centre’s assurance that FIRs would be withdrawn.For the CJP, the debate has moved beyond crowd control and entered the realm of public accountability. The party insists that the central question is not simply whether pellet guns can be used in exceptional circumstances, but whether the events of July 20 ever met that threshold in the first place.
