Will resume protests if govt doesn't withdraw FIRs against protesters today: CJP
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday warned of fresh nationwide protests, accusing the Centre of going back on its assurance to withdraw FIRs against
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday warned of fresh nationwide protests, accusing the Centre of going back on its assurance to withdraw FIRs against student protesters after the Supreme Court's interim order in the petitions related to the demonstrations. The CJP's threat came hours after the Supreme Court directed states to release all detained students below 18 and those without criminal antecedents arrested during the nationwide paper leak protests. It also ordered that no coercive action be taken in FIRs linked to the CJP-led protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and other states. Read Full Story In a statement, the CJP expressed concern over a part of the Supreme Court order, which allows governments to continue with existing FIRs and investigations. According to CJP, the direction runs contrary to the assurance it says the Centre gave on July 25 -- that FIRs against peaceful protesters would be withdrawn and no student would face direct or indirect punitive action.
The outfit said it had called off its nationwide agitation only after receiving that assurance and now feared the Centre and BJP-ruled states could use the court's order to continue criminal proceedings against individual protesters. The CJP also questioned why the government's lawyers did not inform the Supreme Court about the understanding reached with the outfit, despite talks continuing until late on Monday. Calling the Supreme Court's interim order "wholly unacceptable", the CJP argued that the Centre was aware of the commitments it had made to the protesting students but failed to place them before the court. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the outfit would return to the streets if students continued to face police action. "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 Government must stop targeting and witch-hunting students," he tweeted. At the same time, CJP maintained that the Supreme Court had not directed governments to continue the FIRs. It said the executive still had the power to withdraw cases or decide not to pursue action against peaceful protesters, citing Bihar and Assam as examples where such action had been taken. It urged the Centre and the concerned BJP- and NDA-ruled state governments to place the terms of the July 25 assurance before the Supreme Court so that the court could consider the government's commitments while hearing the matter. The outfit said the deadline for the Centre to honour its assurances expired on Tuesday and demanded immediate withdrawal of the FIRs, protection for protesters from any future punitive action, and implementation of what it described as both the "letter and spirit" of the agreement that ended the agitation.
The BriefWire