The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking a uniform national protocol to protect women police personnel during protests. The plea flags violence against officers and manipulated digital evidence during Delhi protests. The court scheduled the next hearing for 3 November to address concerns.
Plea flags police violence and manipulated digital evidence amid Delhi protests over SIR and demands for CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation
The Supreme Court issues notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking a uniform national protocol to protect women police personnel during protests
The plea flags alleged violence against police personnel and the circulation of digitally manipulated evidence amid protests in Delhi over SIR and demands for CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation
It seeks safeguards for women officers, independent complaint mechanisms and forensic authentication of digital evidence. The next hearing is scheduled for 3 November
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Centre on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a uniform national protocol to protect women police personnel deployed for law-and-order duties and protest management.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana issued notice on the petition filed by advocate Ashish Gopal Garg. The Bench tagged the matter with a pending batch of petitions and scheduled the next hearing for 3 November.
The petition, filed through advocate-on-record Shweta Garg, seeks a comprehensive framework to ensure the safety of women police personnel during protest deployments, preserve and authenticate electronic evidence, including AI-generated material, and provide for independent investigations into allegations of misconduct by police personnel and violence against them.
.Tell Modi to sack Gyanesh, protests will stop in 30 sec: Rahul to traders. The plea refers to recent protests in Delhi linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
It cites allegations of violence against police personnel, including women officers and constables, as well as the circulation of digitally manipulated content on social media.
The petitioner argues that women police personnel are frequently deployed in crowded and volatile situations where they face risks that may have a specific gender dimension. The plea also raises concerns about fabricated or manipulated digital material being presented to investigating agencies or courts before its authenticity can be independently verified.
According to the petition, the constitutional framework requires authorities to protect peaceful assemblies while ensuring that violence, unlawful use of force and sexual misconduct are addressed in accordance with the law and on the basis of reliable evidence.
The petitioner has argued that there is no published, uniform national protocol governing the safety of women police personnel during protests, the reporting and redressal of sexual harassment in the field, the independent examination of complaints against police personnel, and the preservation and authentication of electronic evidence.
The plea seeks directions to the Centre to frame a Women Police Personnel Protection and Protest Management Protocol applicable across the country.
It also calls for safeguards to preserve CCTV footage, body-worn camera recordings, control-room footage and other electronic evidence relating to protests, ensuring that such material remains available for independent scrutiny.
In addition, the petition seeks a framework for the forensic authentication of disputed digital content, an effective complaint mechanism for women police personnel and independent examination of allegations involving police misconduct.
The matter is scheduled to be heard again on 3 November.