New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to take suo motu cognisance of a plea of group of lawyers requesting initiation of proceedings over the matter of missing law student in Uttar Pradesh to avoid any repeat of the Unnao incident. The court will hear the matter on Friday.

The girl went missing soon after accusing BJP leader and former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand, who is the director of the college where she studies, of sexually harassing college students.

The group of lawyers had moved the apex court on Wednesday.

In a letter to Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, they requested the court to take suo motu cognizance of the issue. They also mentioned the matter before the Bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana.

Initially, the court asked the lawyers to approach the high court but later asked them to submit their letter. It also assured them that it would look into the matter.

The lawyers requested the court to issue notice to the UP government to trace the girl and provide police protection to her family.

"We as a society can't allow another Unnao case to happen," they said.

The student of the Swami Shukdevanand Law College student in Shahjahanpur had posted videos online, levelling allegations of sexual harassment against Chinmayanand. She went missing three days after the allegations were made.