NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) legal team lead Ratna Singh, on Tuesday, welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to quash First Information Reports (FIRs) filed across the country against protesters during the NEET UG paper leak protests, saying the legal victory was achieved through persistent advocacy.Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “Today’s Supreme Court order is a historic one. We were made promises on July 25, and our legal team, along with all team members, were working hard to ensure we wouldn’t back down until we received assurance on those promises.”“That persistent effort resulted in today’s Supreme Court order. From the beginning, we stated that this is a peaceful protest for the country’s youth, and it will continue to be,” she added.Singh described the quashing of the cases as a major step forward for affected youth across the country, news agency ANI reported.“This Supreme Court order will lead to the quashing of FIRs against protesters across states, bringing huge relief to students whose futures are affected by pending FIRs. We hope that not just BJP-ruled states, but all other states will also follow,” he said.Another lawyer said that while the broader protest FIRs have been quashed, the court ruled that proceedings will continue against 2,873 individuals identified through facial recognition software for allegedly committing acts of violence.“All FIRs filed across different states in the country between July 20 and 25, involving student participants, will be quashed. However, for the 2,873 individuals identified through facial recognition, proceedings will continue against them, and the court has directed that new FIRs be filed against them if necessary,” the lawyer added.Meanwhile, the CJP called off its proposed protest scheduled for September 5 after the Supreme Court invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to quash FIRs registered in connection with pan-India protests held between July 20 and 25 over the NEET 2026 examination.The court recorded that the Central Government and the applicant states had consciously decided not to proceed with the FIRs so that students and youth who participated in the protests would not face consequences merely for taking part in the demonstrations.The Supreme Court was hearing applications filed by Delhi Police and the states of Maharashtra, Assam, Bihar and West Bengal seeking directions concerning FIRs registered in connection with protests in which thousands of students and youth participated.Delhi Police, however, sought an exception for 2,873 individuals in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, citing their alleged criminal antecedents as reflected in the national database, ANI reported.The police submitted that the allegations against these individuals included bodily harm and destruction of property.The Supreme Court permitted the Central Government and Delhi Police to register FIRs against the 2,873 individuals in accordance with law.(With agency inputs)
