Media reports 'reckless', no plea related to CJP-led protests filed: CJI
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has dismissed media reports claiming he refused to list a petition regarding police action against students during a recent protest. He clarified that no formal writ petition had been filed, only an informal representation, and criticized the media for reckless reporting.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between judicial procedure and media accountability in reporting on high-profile legal matters involving civil unrest.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday (July 24, 2026) dismissed as "reckless” media reports that he had denied urgent hearing on a plea challenging the July 20 police action against students, saying it was only a representation and not a petition.
"In the last two days, a completely false statement was made that a matter was filed, and the media is absolutely free from all responsibility and falsely reporting that the Chief Justice refused to list the matter," he said.
“Till morning 10 a.m., not a single page has been filed. It was one representation...sent by Mishra or someone. How can I treat the representation as a writ petition? And people start recklessly reporting this," the CJI said while lawyers were mentioning their cases for urgent listing on Friday (July 24, 2026).
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