Supreme Court: Counseling Youth Is Powerful Force Against Protest Violence

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said listening to and counseling young people is the "most powerful force" to prevent violence during protests, cautioning that "aggressive action in the name of the mighty State" could worsen unrest. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana made the remarks while agreeing to hear a petition seeking action against organizers of the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" march in Delhi, during which violence broke out. The court tagged the plea with pending petitions on student protests and alleged police excesses.

Former Indian Air Force officer Manish Solanki filed the petition, seeking accountability for organizers and rioters, and urging the court to stop governments from withdrawing rioting cases based on political understanding. Advocate Rizwan Ahmad argued organizers had escaped scrutiny, saying, It has been 15 days, and after having created mayhem in a sensitive area, they are just moving from one television channel to another, delivering provocative speeches and still fanning the fire.