The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has withdrawn its proposed protest march in New Delhi scheduled for September 5, following assurances from the Centre regarding cases filed against protesters.
CJP spokesperson and co-convener Saurav Das informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the organisation had decided to cancel the march after the government gave what it described as “positive assurances”. The decision was also linked to directions passed by the Supreme Court during the hearing.
The announcement was made before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Das read out the organisation’s statement in court while informing the bench about the decision.
“As co-convener of the CJP, I want to state that 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 and looks forward to compliance with today’s order,” Das told the court.
Centre Assures Court On Protest-Related Cases
The development followed submissions by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre and the Delhi Police.
Mehta informed the Supreme Court about the discussions held between the government and representatives of the protesting group. He also placed before the bench details contained in applications filed by the Delhi Police.
One of the issues discussed was the proposed investigation involving 2,873 people described by the police as having criminal antecedents. Mehta told the court that a separate FIR would be registered to examine the role of those individuals in alleged offences linked to the protests.
The hearing also covered applications filed by Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam in relation to the matter.
Compensation Issue Still To Be Finalised
The question of compensation for students who died by suicide allegedly in connection with the NEET paper leak was also raised during the proceedings.
Mehta said the Centre remained committed to providing compensation but indicated that the precise mechanism and other modalities would need to be worked out.
The discussions between the government and the protesters ultimately paved the way for the CJP to withdraw its September 5 protest call.
Supreme Court Had Earlier Refused Urgent Intervention
The decision came a day after the Supreme Court declined to urgently intervene over the proposed march.
The bench headed by CJI Surya Kant had observed that there was no immediate basis to assume that the planned demonstration would lead to an untoward incident. Responsibility for maintaining law and order was left to the government and police authorities.
With the CJP now cancelling its September 5 march, attention will shift to the implementation of the assurances made by the Centre and the subsequent judicial directions in the case.
