The Supreme Court on Monday directed its High-Powered Enquiry Committee (HPEC) to give priority to complaints of alleged sexual assault involving women protesters during the NEET protests. The direction came during a hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. Court asks panel to act on complaints Senior advocate Shobha Gupta urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of allegations of sexual assault and molestation during the July 20 protest at Jantar Mantar. She also sought a separate mechanism through which alleged victims could directly submit their complaints for examination. The Chief Justice said the HPEC had already been asked to examine the allegations on a priority basis and submit an interim report. Justice Bagchi also noted that a separate writ petition concerning the same issue had been filed and that the committee had been directed to examine it. Plea seeks direct complaint mechanism Gupta referred to accounts of alleged assaults circulated on social media and urged the court to ensure that complaints from alleged victims …