New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that counselling, listening to young protesters and police restraint are the best ways to prevent student protests from turning violent, cautioning that an aggressive response by the State could worsen the situation.
Hearing a plea related to the July 20 student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, “They are youngsters… any aggression coming from the other side in the name of the mighty State may unnecessarily aggravate the situation and lead to further violence.”
The Chief Justice added that police should exercise restraint and focus on engaging with protesters. “The better course is to counsel them and pacify them. The most powerful tool is listening. Listen to them and understand why they are shouting,” he said.
The court was hearing a PIL seeking action against organisers of the July 20 Parliament march, alleging they should also be held accountable for violence during the protest.
The petitioner argued that criminal cases should not be withdrawn merely due to political understandings and suggested supervised community service for minors accused of abusing police personnel, while maintaining that those involved in serious offences such as stone-pelting should face legal action.
The petition has been tagged with other pending pleas relating to the protests.
