New Delhi, 05 August (H.S.): The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that understanding and engaging with young people is more important than dealing with them harshly. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said that even if some misguided individuals resort to stone-pelting, it remains essential to communicate with them and understand their concerns.

The Supreme Court said that young people require guidance and counselling. It observed that if the government adopts an excessively harsh or aggressive approach, it could further aggravate social tensions, and such a situation should be avoided. The Chief Justice said there is a need to listen to young people and understand why they are angry and why they are raising slogans.

At the same time, the Chief Justice added that decisions regarding the handling of such situations should ultimately be left to law enforcement agencies. He noted that they have the necessary experience in maintaining public order and are better equipped than others to determine the appropriate course of action in such circumstances.

The observations came during the hearing of a petition seeking directions to impose seven days of community service on youths who allegedly used abusive language under the guise of student protests. The petition also sought action against the organisers of such demonstrations.

Recently, the Kakroach Janata Party staged a protest at Jantar Mantar over the paper leak issue. During the students' march towards Parliament, complaints were raised alleging excessive use of force by the police.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar