'Not a single page filed': CJI Surya Kant slams reckless reports on student protest hearing
Setting the record straight on Friday, CJI Surya Kant emphasised that an oral mentioning based on an informal representation cannot be equated to the refusal of a properly filed writ petition.
- Jul 24, 2026,
- Updated Jul 24, 2026 9:01 PM IST
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant today firmly refuted media reports claiming he had refused to list an urgent petition challenging police action against student protesters, revealing that no formal plea had been filed in the Supreme Court.
Addressing the matter in open court on July 24, CJI Surya Kant expressed deep concern over the coverage, calling the reports "irresponsible and reckless" while clarifying that the court had only received a letter representation, not a formally instituted writ petition.
"In the last two days, a completely false statement was made that a matter was filed, and the media is absolutely free from all responsibility, falsely reporting that the Chief Justice refused to list the matter," the CJI said. "Till morning 10 am, not a single page has been filed. It was one representation... sent by that Mishra or someone. How can I treat the representation as a writ petition? And people start recklessly reporting this."
The clarification followed an incident two days prior, when Advocate Narendra Mishra orally mentioned a letter representation before a bench headed by the CJI. Mishra sought an urgent hearing regarding alleged police brutality against students during a July 20 protest march and offered to present video evidence.
Refusing to review the footage at the mentioning stage, the CJI had told the counsel: "We are not interested in videos; we don't have time to watch." When the advocate pressed further about the alleged beating of students, the CJI responded: "Don't waste our time. We don't want to watch any videos."
The underlying controversy traces back to the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' rally organized by the Cockroach Janta Party. Demonstrators marching toward Parliament were met with lathis and tear gas from security forces after attempting to clear barricades. Protesters have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and wider competitive examination irregularities.
Setting the record straight on Friday, CJI Surya Kant emphasised that an oral mentioning based on an informal representation cannot be equated to the refusal of a properly filed writ petition.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant today firmly refuted media reports claiming he had refused to list an urgent petition challenging police action against student protesters, revealing that no formal plea had been filed in the Supreme Court.
Addressing the matter in open court on July 24, CJI Surya Kant expressed deep concern over the coverage, calling the reports "irresponsible and reckless" while clarifying that the court had only received a letter representation, not a formally instituted writ petition.
"In the last two days, a completely false statement was made that a matter was filed, and the media is absolutely free from all responsibility, falsely reporting that the Chief Justice refused to list the matter," the CJI said. "Till morning 10 am, not a single page has been filed. It was one representation... sent by that Mishra or someone. How can I treat the representation as a writ petition? And people start recklessly reporting this."
The clarification followed an incident two days prior, when Advocate Narendra Mishra orally mentioned a letter representation before a bench headed by the CJI. Mishra sought an urgent hearing regarding alleged police brutality against students during a July 20 protest march and offered to present video evidence.
Refusing to review the footage at the mentioning stage, the CJI had told the counsel: "We are not interested in videos; we don't have time to watch." When the advocate pressed further about the alleged beating of students, the CJI responded: "Don't waste our time. We don't want to watch any videos."
The underlying controversy traces back to the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' rally organized by the Cockroach Janta Party. Demonstrators marching toward Parliament were met with lathis and tear gas from security forces after attempting to clear barricades. Protesters have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and wider competitive examination irregularities.
Setting the record straight on Friday, CJI Surya Kant emphasised that an oral mentioning based on an informal representation cannot be equated to the refusal of a properly filed writ petition.