CJI to decide listing of PIL on 'Agnipath': SC bench to petitioner
New Delhi(PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the plea for an SIT probe into the damage to public properties during the protests against 'Agnipath' will be listed for hearing after the Chief Justice of India takes a decision in this regard.
The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youths in the age group of 17-and-a-half-years to 21 years for a four-year stint with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.
Protests have erupted in several states against the scheme, following which the Centre extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment this year.
Advocate Vishal Tiwari urged a vacation bench of Justices C T Ravikumar and Sudhanshu Dhulia to list the plea for an urgent hearing.
Referring to the practice of listing cases during vacation, the bench said, "This matter will be placed before the CJI. The CJI will take a call."
The Public Interest Litigation also sought directions to the Centre, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan governments to submit a status report on the violent protests.
Tiwari, in his petition, also sought a direction to set up an expert committee under the chairmanship of a retired apex court judge to examine the scheme and its impact on national security and the army.
He further sought directions to the Centre and the states arrayed as parties to appoint claim commissioners under the guidelines laid down by the apex court in its 2009 verdict, which was passed in a suo motu case initiated after incidents of damage to public properties.
"The petitioner through this present Public Interest Litigation (Civil) under Article 32 of the Constitution of India would like to bring to the court's attention the devastated condition of the country resulting from the Agnipath scheme launched by the Respondent No.1 (Union of India) through its Ministry of Defence," the plea read.
It said the consequence has been far-reaching for the citizens of this country, resulting in intensified vandalism and protest, and leading to severe destruction of public property and goods.
Another PIL has been filed by lawyer ML Sharma against 'Agnipath', alleging that the government has quashed the century-old selection process for the armed forces, which is contrary to the constitutional provisions and without parliamentary approval.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
