New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday delivered a major verdict regarding the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest held at Jantar Mantar. The court ordered the cancellation of all FIRs related to the protest. It also directed that no new FIRs be registered in connection with the protests held between July 20 and 25. The Supreme Court exercised its special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution for this decision. A bench headed by CJI Justice Suryakant also directed the central government to provide compensation to the families of students who died by suicide during the protest within three months.
CJP Withdraws September 5 March
Even before the hearing began in the Supreme Court, the Cockroach Janata Party had decided to withdraw its proposed Delhi march scheduled for September 5. Party spokesperson Saurav said that the decision was taken after the central government assured them that their demands would be fulfilled. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also said that the central government was fully committed to fulfilling the three assurances given to CJP leaders following the students' protest.
Hearing Held on Demand to Cancel 13 FIRs
The Supreme Court today heard a petition filed by the Delhi Police seeking the cancellation of 13 FIRs related to students who had protested against the NEET paper leak. The application was presented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The police had also sought permission to register new FIRs to investigate the role of 2,873 people who had participated in the protest. The police said that some people present at the protest site had criminal records. Therefore, it was necessary to determine whether any of them had been involved in violence or damage to property. However, the Supreme Court directed that no new FIRs be registered in connection with the protest and also ordered the cancellation of the existing FIRs.
Police Sought Permission to Investigate 2,873 People
In its petition, the Delhi Police cited NCRB records and said that some people with criminal backgrounds were present at the protest site. The police wanted to investigate the role of these individuals. The police clarified that it was seeking permission to register new FIRs only against the 2,873 identified people. The investigation was to be based on the prescribed definition of a criminal background.
According to the police, under normal circumstances, it would not seek permission to register new FIRs, but considering the special circumstances of the case and public interest, it had sought special permission from the Supreme Court under Article 142 of the Constitution. The police also requested that the court's order be limited to the present case and not be treated as a precedent in future cases.
Clash Between Protesters and Security Forces Took Place on July 20
During the march led by CJP in Delhi on July 20, protesters and security personnel clashed. Security forces used lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells to stop the crowd from moving towards Parliament. Following this, the students' movement spread to several cities. The protesters' major demands included the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The movement had started at Jantar Mantar on June 20. Later, after the government accepted other demands of the CJP and Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, the movement ended on July 25.