The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced on Tuesday that it has withdrawn its call for a protest march in Delhi scheduled for September 5. The decision comes after the Centre assured the Supreme Court of its commitment to the agitators, including the withdrawal of First Information Reports (FIRs) filed in connection with a previous demonstration.
The Centre's assurance to the apex court specifically pertains to FIRs registered following the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar on July 20. This earlier demonstration was part of a nationwide agitation against alleged paper leaks in the NEET examination.
Saurav Das, spokesperson and co-convenor for the CJP, informed the Supreme Court of the party's decision to call off the march. He stated, “In view of the positive assurance and judicial sanctity and the order being passed by this court today, CJP deems it appropriate to withdraw the protest march call.” Das also voiced hope that BJP-NDA governments in other states would take similar action and that compensation would be provided to families of students who died amid the NEET controversy.
Reacting to the CJP's move, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant commented, "If both sides show good gestures, everything can be resolved."
This development follows the Delhi Police's communication to the Supreme Court a day earlier, stating its intention to “no longer wish to pursue” 13 FIRs linked to the CJP-led NEET protests in July, invoking Article 142 of the Constitution.
The CJP had initially announced the September 5 march on August 24, proposing a route from India Gate to the New Delhi Police Headquarters. The party had accused the Centre of failing to honor assurances made when it called off its nationwide agitation against the NEET paper leak on July 25, particularly regarding the withdrawal of FIRs and written assurances.
The Supreme Court had previously noted that the Centre and the Delhi government would need to decide on the law-and-order arrangements for the proposed march, while emphasizing that all stakeholders were expected to act peacefully and within the legal framework.