Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Thursday said he would personally intervene if the Supreme Court Metro station was not reopened by lunchtime after the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) complained that the closure of Metro stations due to the ongoing student protests had severely affected access to the court.
The issue was raised before a bench headed by the Chief Justice by SCBA President Vikas Singh, who said the closure of several Delhi Metro stations, including the Supreme Court station, had caused significant inconvenience to lawyers, litigants and court staff travelling to the apex court.
Responding to the concern, the CJI said that if no action was taken by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) by lunchtime, the Supreme Court would examine the matter.
He also assured members of the Bar that no adverse judicial orders would be passed solely because lawyers were unable to reach court due to the Metro closures.
The Chief Justice said the Supreme Court administration had already been instructed to engage with the DMRC in an effort to find a practical solution.
He stated that discussions with the authorities were already underway and added that if the issue remained unresolved by lunchtime, he would step in personally.
During the hearing, SCBA President Vikas Singh proposed a restricted-entry arrangement under which only advocates, litigants and Registry staff carrying valid Supreme Court proximity cards or official identification would be allowed to exit at the Supreme Court Metro station after security checks.
He suggested that passengers without valid identification could remain on the train and travel to another station, while those authorised to access the court premises could disembark after screening.
The observations came after the DMRC closed 16 Metro stations, including the Supreme Court station, until further orders due to the ongoing student protests in Delhi.
Meanwhile, less than a day earlier, on July 22, the Chief Justice had declined an urgent request seeking Supreme Court intervention over the alleged police crackdown on student protesters at Jantar Mantar.
On Wednesday, a lawyer requested an urgent hearing before the CJI-led bench and urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
However, the Chief Justice refused the request.
When the lawyer referred to videos allegedly showing police excesses against protesters, the CJI remarked that the court was not interested in watching videos and did not have time for them.
He also told the lawyer not to waste either the court's time or his own.
The counsel had argued that the students were protesting over issues of public importance, including the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA).
The protests, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), have continued at Jantar Mantar for nearly a month, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak.
Education activist Sonam Wangchuk had also joined the agitation through an indefinite hunger strike before being removed from the protest site by Delhi Police earlier this month.
The CJP's "Chalo Sansad" march drew large crowds and was followed by police action, after which Metro stations across parts of central Delhi were closed as a security precaution.
