The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday said it would constitute a three-member panel to independently examine allegations arising from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests, including claims of excessive police force and violence against law enforcement personnel.

The proposed committee will comprise a former SC judge, a former chief justice of a High Court and a senior retired police officer. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, along with Justice Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said the panel would undertake a fact-finding exercise and submit reports periodically.

The court said victims would be given an opportunity to approach the committee and assured that necessary logistical support would be made available. Its findings and recommendations would be considered by the court while deciding further action.

The panel will also examine allegations of sexual assault and online harassment targeting women protesters, besides claims of social-media-based harassment or victimisation of vulnerable individuals.

The CJI said allegations involving criminal conduct could not be disregarded and would have to be pursued to their logical conclusion, irrespective of who was responsible.

The Bench, however, clarified that the committee’s remit would be restricted to factual issues. Constitutional questions relating to facial recognition technology, surveillance, privacy and the scope of Article 21 would remain for the SC to determine.

The court said the committee could, for instance, examine whether the force used by police during the protests was excessive. Its factual findings could subsequently assist the Bench in deciding the wider legal and constitutional issues, including those concerning facial recognition technology.

The proceedings relate to a batch of petitions concerning protests at Jantar Mantar and in Bihar and other parts of the country over alleged leaks of Neet and other competitive examination papers.

The Bench also indicated that it could consider invoking its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to bring an end to criminal proceedings against students by quashing the FIRs. Cases involving individuals with serious criminal antecedents, however, could be considered separately.