Supreme Court Calls for Restraint During Protests; Agrees to Hear Plea on July 20 March

PTI, August 5, 2026, New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday underscored the need for law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint during protests and said youngsters must be pacified, even if some "misguided elements" indulge in stone-pelting, as it agreed to hear a plea seeking action against organisers of the July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march for allegedly inciting violence.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan tagged the plea, filed by a retired Air Force officer, with a similar petition.

Advocate Rizwan Ahmed, appearing for petitioner Maneesh Kumar Solanki, said: "Fifteen days have passed... What about the accountability of the organisers? They are going from channel to channel giving provocative statements and refusing to douse the fire."

Referring to a recent law and order incident in Rajasthan, the lawyer argued that governments should not "bend backwards" to accommodate protesters.

"One young man has died. If the government bends backwards in a matter concerning the national capital, will it not set a precedent in Rajasthan? There also the government will bend backwards to accommodate students. Tomorrow, if degree college students in Lucknow have some demand and start pelting stones at buses, will the government in Uttar Pradesh also bend backwards," he submitted.

Responding to his submission, the CJI said even if some "misguided elements" indulge in stone-pelting, youngsters are required to be pacified and counselled.

"They need advice and counselling. Any aggressive approach from the side of the mighty State may socially aggravate the situation and precipitate further violence. That needs to be avoided," the CJI said.

The lawyer contended that those involved in stone-pelting should not be allowed to go scot-free without any consideration merely because the government was on the "wrong foot".

"This is a very dangerous precedent. Three years back, the farmers were at the Singhu border. Tomorrow, Generation Alpha, Beta, Delta will come," he said.

The lawyer further argued that Parliament was the "temple of democracy" and said if 500 people had entered the complex, "who knows whether they were carrying a country-made gun?"

The CJI observed that the focus should be on ensuring peaceful protests while exercising restraint if an incident occurs.

"What is important is to promote a peaceful march. If some incident takes place, the police also need to exercise a great deal of restraint to ensure that the situation does not go out of hand. Wherever such incidents take place, we need to deal with them very carefully," he said.