A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia told the petitioner, “Don’t drag the court into all this,” while declining the request for an urgent listing. The matter will now be listed for hearing on Wednesday.
The petitioner had mentioned the plea before the bench seeking immediate intervention, alleging that Delhi Police personnel used excessive force against protesters during the demonstration.
The protest followed the forcible hospitalisation of activist Sonam Wangchuk on Saturday, which brought an abrupt end to his 21-day hunger strike in support of the movement launched by the satirical Cockroach Janta Party. The movement is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over allegations linked to a NEET paper leak.
On Monday, thousands of mostly young students gathered at the Jantar Mantar protest site in central New Delhi, marking a major escalation in the campaign. The protest site witnessed clashes as police used tear gas shells to disperse demonstrators, while some protesters responded by throwing stones. Several participants ran for cover as security personnel moved towards the crowd.
Delhi Police said at least 178 people were injured during clashes between protesters and security officials. According to the police statement, 118 security personnel, including senior officers, were among those injured. The police criticised what it described as “unruly, aggressive and violent behaviour” by a “violent mob”.
“During the scuffle, around 60 protesters were also reported to get injured,” the Delhi Police said in a statement issued late Monday.
Protest organisers, however, condemned what they called the “high-handedness” of the authorities and claimed that hundreds of demonstrators were injured during the police action.
“It is a shameful day in the history of Indian democracy that people, honest students, who had come for a genuine issue were brutally beaten by the Delhi Police,” a Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson said.
The party has announced that it will continue its campaign until Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns.
The Cockroach Janta Party emerged in May after the Supreme Court Chief Justice compared some unemployed young people to “cockroaches” during an unrelated hearing. Supporters adopted the remark and transformed it into a satirical movement that has attracted millions of followers on social media.
The movement gained further momentum following repeated leaks of high-stakes medical entrance examinations, triggering widespread public anger and intensifying demands for reforms in the education system. The Delhi High Court’s decision to defer the hearing adds another legal dimension to the ongoing confrontation between protesters and authorities over allegations of police excesses and examination-related concerns.
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