Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das has called on the Centre and BJP/NDA-ruled state governments to withdraw FIRs registered against student protesters after the Supreme Court clarified that the term “criminal antecedents” in its July 28 order refers only to those accused of grave and heinous offences. Following the clarification, Saurav Das said the governments should now implement the assurances given to students and act on the pending demands raised during the protests.

Saurav Das says Centre should honour assurances after Supreme Court clarification

Describing the Supreme Court’s clarification as significant, Saurav Das said it had removed the uncertainty surrounding the court’s earlier order on the release of detained student protesters.

“Now that the Supreme Court has removed confusions, we expect the Government of India and all BJP/NDA-ruled states to immediately honour the assurances given on 25 July to the young of this country,” Das said.

According to the CJP, the clarification strengthens its demand that criminal cases registered against student protesters be withdrawn wherever applicable. The party has maintained that the assurances made after its discussions with the government should now be implemented without further delay.

In a separate post on X, Saurav Das said the organisation had remained actively involved throughout the protest by extending legal assistance, medical support and other help to students.

“That commitment remains unchanged. We thank all lawyers across the country who continue to help the protesters,” he wrote.

Das added that the party is continuing to track developments across different states while remaining in touch with the Union government.

“We continue to closely monitor developments across states and remain in constant dialogue with senior representatives of the Union government,” he said, adding that the CJP expects the assurances to be implemented “in both letter and spirit.”

Ending his statement with a message to the government, Saurav Das said, “The youth of this country honoured their word. It is now time for the Government to honour its own immediately.”

Saurav Das renews demand to withdraw protest-linked FIRs

The CJP’s latest statement came shortly after the Supreme Court explained the scope of its July 28 directions on the release of detained protesters.

While hearing petitions alleging police excesses during the recent student demonstrations, a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant clarified that the expression “criminal antecedents” used in its earlier order should be understood to mean only “grave and heinous offences.”

According to ANI, the bench also observed that the National Capital Territory of Delhi and other states are free to close or withdraw criminal cases in accordance with the law. The court further suggested evolving a mechanism to deal with cases registered during the protests after gathering information from different states and categorising them appropriately.

The bench indicated that it is considering two possible mechanisms to examine allegations arising from the protests. One option is an inquiry led by a senior police officer, while the other is a panel headed by a judge.

“We are thinking of two options… one is SIT by a sole senior police officer… the other… we don’t want to have the nomenclature of SIT. Whatever we will constitute would be by a Judge. We won’t call it an SIT,” the court observed.

Chief Justice Surya Kant also said the proposed mechanism would examine allegations against both the authorities and the protesters. The court suggested that authorities first compile details of FIRs registered across states before separating cases involving those without criminal antecedents from cases involving grave offences. It also observed that governments may close or withdraw appropriate criminal proceedings in accordance with the law.

The clarification came days after the Supreme Court’s July 28 order directing the immediate release of detained student protesters, while making an exception for those with criminal antecedents. Monday’s clarification narrowed that exception to cases involving grave and heinous offences, a development that prompted Saurav Das and the CJP to reiterate their demand for the withdrawal of FIRs against eligible student protesters.