The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Tuesday withdrew its call for a September 5 march in Delhi after the Supreme Court ordered the closure of FIRs registered in connection with its July protests and the Centre reiterated its commitment to withdraw the cases and compensate families of students who died by suicide.
The CJP said it was withdrawing the march in view of the Centre’s assurances and the “judicial sanctity” given to them by the Supreme Court.
“In view of the positive assurances of the Government of India and the judicial sanctity bestowed upon them today, and in view of the order being passed by this Court, the CJP deems it appropriate to withdraw the call for the march on September 5,” CJP co-convener Saurav Das said in court.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant ordered that FIRs relating to the protests between July 20 and 25 across the country would not be pursued or investigated and would be treated as closed. It also directed that no fresh FIR be registered in connection with the same incidents.
The court said the order was intended to ensure that criminal cases did not harm students and young people who participated in the protests, adding that participation in a protest would not by itself constitute an offence.
The Centre had told the court that it would honour three assurances made after a July 25 meeting with CJP representatives: withdrawal of FIRs registered between July 20 and 25, no fresh cases relating to those incidents, and compensation for families of NEET aspirants and students who died by suicide.
The court, however, allowed an exception for 2,837 people whom Delhi Police identified as having serious criminal antecedents and who were allegedly present at the protest site. Their individual roles in incidents involving violence or damage to public property may be examined separately.
“There was a case of sieving out a section of protesters who had assembled with certain bona fide democratic demands and certain alleged elements with serious criminal antecedents,” the bench said.
The court described the wider order as a “healing balm” for the protesters and said it wanted to ensure that people who participated in the agitation over genuine grievances were not subjected to vexatious criminal proceedings.
The Centre also told the court that it would formulate a nationwide framework for compensating families of students who died by suicide in connection with the 2026 NEET examination issue. The court directed the government to frame and notify the policy in consultation with the states.
The CJP had announced the September 5 march after accusing the Centre of failing to honour assurances that led to the withdrawal of its 36-day agitation on July 25.
The July protests were sparked by allegations of irregularities and repeated paper leaks in national examinations. The July 20 “Chalo Sansad” march saw clashes between protesters and security personnel, with allegations of excessive force on one side and violence and damage to public property on the other.
The Supreme Court has separately appointed a five-member committee headed by former judge Justice R Subhash Reddy to examine the allegations surrounding the July 20 clashes.
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