New Delhi, Aug 24: The High-Powered Enquiry Committee, constituted by the Supreme Court to examine allegations of police excesses during the NEET protests, has been asked to take up on priority the complaints of sexual assault faced by women protesters. The clarification was made by a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana on Monday, when senior advocate Shobha Gupta urged it to take suo motu cognisance of the allegations of sexual assault and molestation of women during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar.

The CJI said the High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) would take up on priority the complaints of sexual assault faced by protesters. As per the order passed last week, "the committee has been requested to examine it on a priority basis, and immediately submit an interim report," the CJI said.

Justice Bagchi pointed out that an independent writ petition was filed on the same cause, and the HPEC has been asked to examine the issue. Gupta also urged the bench to establish a mechanism through which alleged victims can directly submit their complaints for examination.

The fresh plea sought suo motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault and molestation of women during the July 20 protest. Referring to reports and accounts of alleged assaults that were circulated widely on social media, Gupta said the allegations included a lathi being jabbed into a woman's buttocks.

" I am beseeching the court to take suo motu cognisance of these instances," the senior advocate said. She requested that the alleged sexual assault cases be dealt with separately and on a priority basis.

She also suggested that the court could designate a district judge or another appropriate authority to receive complaints directly from the alleged victims. " There should be an order providing an email ID and designating an officer to whom the complaints can be sent, and it should be given publicity," she submitted, stressing that such a mechanism would ensure that the allegations reached the committee.

On August 20, the top court formed a five-member high-powered committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy to examine allegations of police excesses against student protesters in Delhi and violence against police personnel. The committee also consists of former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court Judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla and retired Meghalaya DGP L R Bishnoi.