Senior Advocate and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Vikas Singh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a judicial inquiry into the alleged police Lathicharge during the recent student demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and Sansad Marg over repeated examination paper leaks. Besides seeking accountability for the alleged use of force, Mr. Singh has also called for structural reforms to address recurring examination leaks, contending that the issue reflects a larger institutional failure affecting millions of students.
In his representation dated July 22, 2026, Mr. Singh argued that peaceful student demonstrations arose out of repeated failures of authorities to conduct public examinations fairly. According to him, repeated paper leaks, prolonged litigation, administrative delays and institutional indifference have left countless aspirants facing uncertainty despite years of preparation.
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“High-performing students invest years of disciplined preparation to excel, yet find themselves trapped in a recurring cycle of paper leaks, prolonged litigation, administrative deferrals, and institutional indifference. For countless families, this journey is built on profound sacrifice… Thousands of aspirants have now crossed the upper age limit due to these delays, suffering insomnia, depression, and acute anxiety. Hundreds have tragically lost their lives following paper leaks, underscoring the urgent need for accountability and structural reform.”
Mr. Singh stated that between 2017 and 2026, several national examinations, including AIIMS MBBS, SSC MTS, SSC CGL, CBSE Class 10 and 12, JEE, Army CEE, NEET-UG, UGC-NET, CSIR, and major railway recruitment examinations, as well as several State recruitment tests had allegedly suffered breaches affecting millions of candidates. He contended that despite the enactment of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, examination leaks have continued because the existing legal framework lacks effective investigative and enforcement mechanisms to identify and prosecute the masterminds behind such offences.
The representation also alleges that students protesting peacefully against repeated examination irregularities were met with unprovoked and disproportionate police force. Citing media reports, eyewitness accounts and video footage, Mr. Singh alleged that protesters sustained serious injuries, including head injuries, while female students, minors, journalists and medical volunteers were also subjected to force during the police action.
According to Mr. Singh, unidentified civilians allegedly participated in the assault alongside police personnel, journalists from organisations including The Wire, Scroll and Newslaundry were prevented from reporting, police personnel operated without mandatory identification badges, and tear gas was indiscriminately deployed near Central Secretariat Metro Station and against peaceful hunger-striking students. The representation further alleges that doctors and healthcare workers administering first aid to injured protesters were assaulted and that peaceful demonstrators at Jantar Mantar were forcibly dispersed.
Mr. Singh wrote that the alleged police action violated constitutional protections under Articles 14, 19 and 21, as well as the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) governing dispersal of assemblies. He argued that the use of force was contrary to statutory safeguards requiring minimum force and violated established judicial principles governing police action during public protests.
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“It is deeply troubling that protest tactics once championed as the essence of democratic accountability are today met with brutal physical suppression by that very governance framework. When officers of the court, medical professionals providing humanitarian aid, and journalists documenting public events are subjected to direct physical violence alongside peaceful citizens, it highlights a terrifying collapse of executive restraint and a complete breakdown of constitutional order.”
The representation further questions the official narrative regarding injuries allegedly suffered by police personnel, claiming that publicly available video footage does not substantiate assertions that police officers were attacked by protesters and instead suggests that several injuries may have resulted from the manner in which the police operation was conducted.
Seeking immediate intervention, Mr. Singh has urged the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to order a judicial inquiry into the alleged police action, identify those responsible, and initiate appropriate action against them. He has also called for comprehensive reforms to strengthen the integrity of public examinations, arguing that recurring paper leaks and the alleged suppression of peaceful protests together represent a serious challenge to the constitutional rights and future of India’s students.