The Supreme Court has registered CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas’s letter to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as Interlocutory Application No. 319609/2026 in the pending writ petition initiated by CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby and others challenging restrictions on peaceful protests in New Delhi.

Brittas appeared before the Court and argued in person after his letter was taken up in the ongoing proceedings. The Chief Justice assured him that he would receive a full hearing and that the Court would examine all the facts of the matter.

The development follows the assault on Brittas by Delhi Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel on October 11, while he was speaking to journalists in Connaught Place. The incident happened within hours of the Supreme Court issuing directions to protect peaceful protesters from unlawful detention. Hearing petitions concerning restrictions on protests in Delhi, the Court had directed that there should be no illegal detention, particularly of people participating in peaceful, unarmed assemblies without breaking any law. The Court had also directed that the movement of people be ensured, subject to law-and-order requirements and traffic regulations, and that lawyers, journalists and other professionals should not be obstructed from discharging their duties.

John Brittas had reached Connaught Place after learning that student and youth protesters were being assaulted and detained. While he was peacefully interacting with journalists, police personnel dragged him for around 50 metres, forcibly lifted him into a police vehicle and assaulted him inside it, despite his repeatedly identifying himself as a sitting Member of Parliament. He was subsequently abandoned by the roadside in a visibly distressed condition.

In his letter to the Chief Justice, Brittas sought judicial intervention, including consideration of appropriate proceedings under Article 32 of the Constitution. Brittas said the registration of his letter as an interlocutory application offered hope that constitutional guarantees of liberty, the right to dissent and the rule of law would receive the judicial scrutiny they urgently required.

Brittas has maintained that the incident raises serious questions about the protection of democratic freedoms and accountability for the conduct of law-enforcement personnel. He has called for an independent investigation, preservation of video footage and eyewitness evidence, and scrutiny of the role of the police personnel and supervisory officers involved.