Anonymity for complainants and witness protection must be built into the complaints portal for the July student protests probe, the Supreme Court has directed, after the High-Powered Enquiry Committee told it the portal is ready for launch.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide all the facilities the High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) needs, after the Committee informed it that its online complaints portal is ready for launch. The HPEC is examining the violence during the July student protests at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere [Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India and Others].
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana heard the matter after reading the Committee’s status report. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Union.
The directions
The portal is to be developed in line with the Committee’s requirements, the Bench directed, with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) ensuring anonymity and confidentiality of complaints, evidence and statements to protect vulnerable witnesses, and with all prescribed witness protection measures integrated. The Solicitor General assured the Court that any facility still pending would be provided without delay, and the Court directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide all necessary facilities.
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What the Committee reported
According to the Committee, the NIC was engaged to design and develop the portal, and two templates have been provided: one for aggrieved protesters and one for aggrieved police personnel. Public notices will appear in major newspapers once the portal is launched. The Committee added that it needed some infrastructure support from the Ministry of Home Affairs to function smoothly.
Who sits on the Committee
Former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy chairs the five-member HPEC. Its other members are former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya Director General of Police Dr. L.R. Bishnoi. It was asked to examine independently both the alleged use of excessive force by police and paramilitary forces against protesters and the alleged violence by protesters against security personnel, including injuries sustained by them.
What the order means
Protesters and police personnel alike now have a structured channel to place their accounts before the Committee. The stress on anonymity and witness protection reflects the Court’s concern that complainants on both sides may hesitate to come forward. The Committee has made no findings, and no view has been expressed on any allegation of excess or violence.
Case Details: Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India and Others [WP(Crl) 280/2026]; hearing reported 13 October 2026; next date not available.
Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, Supreme Court of India. Appearances: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the Union.