New Delhi, July 28 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered states to release all students below the age of 18 and those without any criminal antecedents who were arrested or detained during the nationwide protests over exam paper leaks. In wide-ranging interim measures, the Supreme Court also ordered that no coercive action be taken in connection with any FIRs lodged against the students involved in the Cockroach Janta Party-led protests in Delhi's Jantar Mantar and various other states. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, however, made it clear that the protection would not extend to those with criminal background. The Supreme Court also hinted that it might order a probe by a high-powered committee into the incidents of violence, including the July 20 unrest where protesters clashed with police during their march to Parliament. The top court also issued notices to the Centre and the governments of Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.