“Stop Shouting At The Court,” said Solicitor General Tushar Mehta; “Nautanki” and “drama for the media” came the reply from Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, in a Thursday hearing on the Delhi protests at the Supreme Court.
New Delhi: Women journalists who complained against police officers during the October 10 Delhi protests did not obtain the blanket shield from coercive action that Senior Advocate Indira Jaising pressed for before the Supreme Court on Thursday, and the request triggered a heated exchange with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta [Batch of petitions on the October 10 Delhi protests, including Network of Women in Media petition and connected matters].
Hearing the full batch of petitions arising from the protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Bench comprised Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
Protection, but not a blanket one
Justice Bagchi said the protection could not be made that wide and would be restricted to the specific instance in the petition and the persons named in the enclosed material. The Court directed that the woman journalist whose complaint of alleged molestation is pending be protected from coercive action.
On the committee idea, the Bench said prima facie that a committee examining women journalists’ complaints should be predominantly or exclusively composed of women. Names and material were to be handed over in sealed cover.
The words that were traded
Objecting to the tenor of the arguments, the Solicitor General said:
“Stop shouting at the Court. They want their rights of speech and expression to be protected, but they don’t want anyone else to have it, including the Court.”
Jaising hit back:
“This is all Nautanki. This is all drama for the media!”
Two sets of submissions
Appearing for the Network of Women in Media, Jaising argued that women journalists covering protests form a distinct and vulnerable class. She sought a separate Vishaka-style inquiry committee headed by a woman, and asked that no coercive action be taken against any woman journalist who had complained against police officers.
For the authorities, the Solicitor General asked that their version be heard before orders were passed. He opposed setting up a committee at this stage and called a blanket no-FIR direction too wide. A video relied on in one complaint, he told the Court, had been analysed and found to be AI-generated, though the authorities would not minimise the allegation.
Earlier in the same hearing, after the Solicitor General complained of interruptions, Justice Bagchi had assured all sides that every voice would be heard irrespective of numbers.
How the batch got here
The Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant held on October 9 that there could be no complete prohibition on Metro and train services in Delhi ahead of the October 10 protests against the Chief Election Commissioner over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. A contempt petition followed on October 10 alleging breach of that order, alongside complaints of mass detentions and a mobile internet shutdown. On October 11, a special Bench issued notice and passed ad-interim directions.
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The women journalists’ petitions came up on October 13, when the Chief Justice asked that a senior Delhi Police officer remain present to explain alleged assaults on women journalists covering the protests. On Thursday the Court issued notice on all the protest-related pleas.
The allegations made by the women journalists and the counter-claims of the authorities are untested. The Court has expressed no view on the merits, and the presumption of innocence applies to anyone facing a complaint.
Case: Batch of petitions on the October 10 Delhi protests, including Network of Women in Media petition and connected matters
Bench: CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi
Date of Hearing: October 15, 2026
Appearances: Senior Advocate Indira Jaising for the Network of Women in Media; Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the authorities