The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday alleged that the Supreme Court's interim order allowing governments to proceed with investigations into FIRs linked to the student-led NEET-UG protests could be used to target peaceful demonstrators, despite the Centre's earlier assurance that all cases against protesters would be withdrawn.
The remarks came after the Supreme Court, while hearing a batch of petitions related to the CJP-led protests, permitted the Delhi government and other states to continue investigations into existing FIRs.
CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the order had raised "serious concerns" over the possibility of criminal cases being pursued against students and protesters.
"The interim order passed by the Supreme Court of India in the batch of PILs related to the CJP protest must ring alarm bells across the country. In particular, Direction No. 4, which permits governments to proceed with existing FIRs and carry out investigations, raises extremely serious concerns," Das said in a post on X.
The CJP had withdrawn its 36-day sit-in at Jantar Mantar on June 25 after former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned and the Centre assured protesters that criminal cases would be withdrawn. The government had also promised compensation for the families of NEET-UG aspirants who died by suicide following the alleged paper leak.
Das claimed that government lawyers did not oppose the Supreme Court's direction despite those assurances. "We now have a credible apprehension that the Government of India and BJP-ruled states may seek to use and weaponise this order... to continue FIRs against individual protesters and subject them to great harassment. This was precisely our concern from day one: that courts could be used, directly or indirectly, to achieve political ends by targeting peaceful dissent," he said.
The CJP maintained that the interim order does not prevent governments from withdrawing pending cases.
"Nothing in the interim order prevents the Government of India or the concerned BJP/NDA-ruled State Governments from withdrawing the FIRs or deciding not to proceed against peaceful protesters... The power to withdraw or not pursue such cases continues to rest with the executive," Das said.
He further argued that the order should not be interpreted as a judicial directive to continue prosecutions.
"The court has not mandated that governments must definitely continue with the FIRs. That would be a deliberate misreading. The Government must not invoke the Court's order as a justification for reneging on the commitment it made on 25 July," he added.
Calling on the Centre to place its assurances before the Supreme Court, Das said transparency was necessary to enable the court to pass an informed order.
"The youth of India entered into this understanding in good faith. That good faith must not be betrayed. Institutions of constitutional importance must never be politicised and weaponised to not honour the guarantees," he said.
Warning that the government's deadline to fulfil its commitments had expired, Das said the party was prepared to relaunch its nationwide agitation.
"Failing this, and as previously declared, the Cockroach Janta Party will have no option but to resume its nationwide protest to protect the students and young protesters who stood up not for themselves alone, but for the future of this nation." He added: "A government that breaks its word cannot expect the youth to remain silent. If the guarantees are dishonoured, the streets of India will once again become the voice of its young."
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke also warned of fresh protests if police action against students continued.
"If the harassment of students at the hands of the police continues, the Cockroach Janta Party will respond with a massive peaceful protest soon. The Govt must stop targeting and witch-hunting students," Dipke said in a post on X.
