New Delhi, July 27 -- The Supreme Court on Monday, July 27, orally observed that the right to peaceful and lawful protest is protected under the Constitution and that agitation by itself cannot be used to justify a lathi charge by police.

The top court took up a batch of petitions alleging excessive use of force against students protesting across the country over the NEET paper leaks.

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana made the observations while the petitions were mentioned before it. The court said allegations of police excess should be independently examined and stressed the need for uniform protocols across states for handling protests.

"Right to peaceful, lawful protest...