India, July 28 -- More than a week after the July 20 'Cockroach Janta Party' Jantar Mantar protest brought parts of Central Delhi to a standstill and led to ripple effects in other parts of the country, the spotlight has shifted from the chaos on the streets to the questions surrounding the police response.

Dealing with a batch of pleas alleging police excesses against students protesting irregularities in exams and the NEET paper leak across the country, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday referred to many incidents of violence.

The Supreme Court bench indicated that allegations of police excesses during the student protests-including claims of the use of pellet guns, tear gas, lathi-charge, electric shock we...