Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant clarified the context behind the Supreme Court’s widely discussed ‘don’t waste our time’ remark, stating that the apex court never refused to hear petitions concerning the alleged police action against students protesting over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak.
Speaking to NDTV, CJI Kant dismissed reports claiming that the Supreme Court had declined to hear the matter. He explained that petitioners had submitted only a one-page representation instead of a properly filed writ petition, leaving the court with no legal basis to list the case.
“The Supreme Court can never deny hearing any case. We are available 24 hours,” CJI Kant said, assuring citizens that the court would deliver justice within the law.
The Chief Justice of India stressed that litigants must follow the prescribed legal procedure and said the petitioners had sought an urgent hearing without filing a proper petition.
Earlier, CJI Kant told the open court that the Supreme Court Registry had received only a representation, not a writ petition, and asked how the court could treat a simple representation as a formal petition.
The clarification followed criticism of the CJI-led Bench’s remarks during an oral mentioning, when it asked lawyers not to ‘waste our time’ and declined to watch videos of the alleged police action.
Advocate Narendra Mishra sought the Supreme Court’s suo motu intervention under Article 32, alleging violations of students’ fundamental rights.
Later, the Supreme Court agreed to hear two formally filed petitions after senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan informed the Bench that they had been duly submitted.
The CJI-led Bench listed the matter for hearing on Monday, July 27.
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