Supreme Court Orders Release of Minors Held in NEET Protest Crackdown

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all States to release students below the age of 18 who were arrested or detained during the nationwide protests over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, provided they have no criminal antecedents.

The Court also directed that no coercive action be taken against students for the time being, ordered preservation of all electronic evidence relating to the protests, and observed that the allegations placed before it prima facie warrant an independent and impartial probe.

"All States are directed to release children below the age of 18 who have been arrested or detained during the student protests and who do not have any criminal antecedents", the Court said.

The Court has further directed that persons arrested in connection with the student protests who do not have criminal antecedents shall also be released, while permitting investigation in the cases to continue in accordance with law.

The directions came while a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana was hearing a batch of petitions alleging excessive force by police during protests that began at Jantar Mantar and other places in Delhi and later spread to Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.

The petitions allege that students protesting over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak were subjected to lathi charge, use of pellet guns, tear gas and electric weapons, in violation of Articles 14, 19, 20 and 21 of the Constitution.

The Court noted the petitioners' allegations that pellet guns caused grievous injuries, including one protester allegedly losing eyesight, that lathis fitted with nails resulted in permanent disabilities, that a media person was seriously assaulted, and that violence was committed by police personnel, including those allegedly in civilian clothes.

The Court also noted that similar allegations had been made by police personnel and their families, who claimed that anti-social elements infiltrated the protest sites and attacked police officials, causing injuries. It recorded that these incidents had also been placed on record.

During the hearing, Advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned a separate plea filed on behalf of Junaid Malik, a protest volunteer, alleging that Malik and his family were assaulted by the police.

The Court however, said that at this stage it's not looking at facts. It did, however, acknowledge that prima favour cases of violent attacks on students have occurred which warrant a fair and independent probe.

"If we start looking at individual facts... the most conservative language we can use is that there is, prima facie, a case of violence involved. That is why we are hearing these matters," the CJI observed.

The court also referred to allegations placed before it from Bihar that AK-47s were allegedly used against peaceful protesters.

(With inputs from ANI)