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The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the High-Powered Committee (HPC) investigating alleged police excesses during the Delhi protests to submit its initial fact-finding report within one month, clarifying that the panel should not defer its work indefinitely while waiting for more complaints.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said the committee could proceed with the material already available with it, seek responses from the authorities concerned and begin submitting its findings on the two priority issues identified by the court. The court also asked lawyers representing the petitioners and other concerned persons to forward complaints, videos and other evidence in their possession to the committee. It noted there is a gap between the material petitioners claimed to have submitted and what had actually reached the panel, which had received very few complaints through its portal and physical submissions. The bench clarified that material submitted by lawyers or public-spirited individuals on behalf of victims should also be examined, even if the victims themselves had not approached the committee. The bench observed that the committees October 31 submission was only a status report and did not contain findings on the allegations. It said the panel should ordinarily share relevant findings with the parties, unless there are exceptional reasons to maintain confidentiality. The matter will be heard after two weeks. (ANI)
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