Supreme Court Quashes FIRs Against NEET Protesters Using Special Powers, Sets Key Condition

The Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed all FIRs registered against students who participated in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protests held across the country between July 20 and 25.

A bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to bring the criminal proceedings against the protesters to an end. The court said the decision was aimed at doing “complete justice” while taking into account the future prospects of the young protesters.

The bench expanded the scope of its order after considering submissions made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

However, the order comes with an important exception. CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das said the party had argued that individuals with serious criminal records should still face investigation and prosecution if they were found to have committed offences during the protests.

According to Das, the Supreme Court has allowed Delhi Police to register a fresh FIR against around 2,800 individuals identified through facial recognition technology.

He said the CJP had argued that if people accused of serious crimes were present at the protest site and were found involved in offences such as murder, rape or other grave crimes, they should not be shielded from prosecution.

“The issue has now been resolved,” Das said.

WHY DELHI POLICE SOUGHT A FRESH FIR

The Supreme Court had earlier taken up a Delhi Police plea seeking the quashing of 13 FIRs filed against students involved in the protests. The police also sought permission to register a fresh case against 2,873 individuals.

Delhi Police told the court that it no longer wished to pursue the 13 FIRs following the Centre’s decision of July 25.

At the same time, the police claimed that 2,873 people with serious criminal antecedents, based on National Crime Records Bureau data, were prima facie present at the protest site. It sought permission to investigate their possible involvement in offences involving bodily harm or damage to property.

The proposed fresh FIR would specifically cover those individuals, with the investigation to be conducted in accordance with the court’s clarification on the term “criminal antecedents”.

PROTESTS OVER EDUCATION MINISTER’S RESIGNATION

The CJP-led march in Delhi on July 20 witnessed clashes between protesters and security personnel as demonstrators attempted to march towards Parliament. Police used lathis and tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The student-led agitation later spread to several cities and centred on demands for the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The protests began at Jantar Mantar on June 20 and were called off on July 25 after Pradhan resigned and the government accepted the CJP’s other demands.