The Supreme Court has indicated it may frame nationwide guidelines for handling protests, stressing that the constitutional right to peaceful protest must be protected while condemning both violence by demonstrators and excessive use of force by police. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made the observations while hearing petitions linked to nationwide protests over alleged examination paper leaks and claims of police excesses. The development comes days after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid sustained protests, as the Centre introduced a tougher anti-paper leak law in Parliament.
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