The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the Delhi Police on two public interest litigations (PILs) that alleged excessive use of force against protesters during the July 20 march to Parliament. The petitions claimed that police used unnecessary force while handling the demonstration.

A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed the authorities to preserve all records linked to the police action. The court specifically asked officials to keep CCTV footage, videography, and other relevant material safe in line with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the Delhi Police or the Union government.

The bench issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi Police and granted them four weeks to file their counter affidavits. The court said, "Let a counter affidavit be filed on behalf of the respondents within four weeks."

The bench also ordered, "In the meantime, we direct that the relevant record in relation to the incident as mentioned in the writ petitions, including the CCTV footage and videography, shall be preserved as per the SOP of the Delhi Police or the Union of India."

The court scheduled the next hearing for September 11.

Senior advocates N Hariharan, Vikas Singh, and Gopal Sankaranarayanan appeared for the petitioners. They argued that the police used excessive force against the protesters during the march. They also claimed that women and children were among those affected by the police action.

The petitioners requested the High Court to order an inquiry into the incident. The senior advocates argued that the protesters were exercising their fundamental right to peacefully protest against alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.

Representing the Centre, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju opposed the petitions. He argued that the PILs relied on social media posts and said they were not maintainable.

The Delhi High Court has now sought replies from the Centre and the Delhi Police while ensuring that all evidence related to the police action remains preserved until the matter comes up for hearing on September 11.