Supreme Court Issues Suo Motu Notice — Bars Coercive Action Against Students

<p>The Supreme Court of India on July 22 took suo motu cognizance of the student protests and police action during the Sansad Chalo march. A bench headed by the Chief Justice issued notices to the Union Ministry of Education, NTA, and CBSE, demanding responses within two weeks.</p><p>In a landmark interim order, the court directed that no coercive action — including FIRs, college suspensions, or examination blacklisting — shall be taken against students who participated peacefully. "The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental right under Article 19, and the student community must not be penalized for exercising it," the bench observed.</p><p>The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 1, 2026, and has asked the Centre to file a status report on the NEET-UG investigation and CBSE marking audit by then.</p>