The Supreme Court on Thursday, November 5, accepted the resignation of retired Meghalaya Director General of Police Dr L.R. Bishnoi from the five-member High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) constituted to investigate allegations of police excesses and violence during the student protests, The Bar Bulletin reported.

Source: The Bar Bulletin

LiveLaw's breaking news alerts for November 5 also reported that the Supreme Court accepted Dr Bishnoi's resignation from the High Powered Enquiry Committee constituted to probe the July student protest violence.

Source: LiveLaw

The order was passed in Shailendra Mani Tripathi v. Union of India & Ors., W.P. (Crl.) No. 280/2026, dated November 5, 2026. The Bench said it was accepting the resignation for the reasons mentioned in Dr Bishnoi's resignation letter.

Replacement only if the committee needs one

The Court observed that if the committee requires another former police officer of DGP rank or a senior officer, the HPEC itself may suggest names, or the parties may make suggestions. It also noted that the committee already has a senior officer who has served as Director General of State Police, Director of the CBI and Director of the Intelligence Bureau.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the Court should itself suggest a name, as allowing the parties to propose candidates could lead to speculation, The Bar Bulletin reported.

What the committee is probing

The HPEC, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy, was constituted to examine allegations of excessive use of force by police against student protesters, as well as alleged violence by protesters against police personnel during the July 2026 student protests, including at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

No reason for the resignation beyond the contents of Dr Bishnoi's own letter was given in the reports, and the Court did not announce a replacement on Thursday.