CJP Warns Govt Against Resisting SC Bid To Quash FIRs

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday accused the Centre of resisting the Supreme Court's bid to facilitate quashing of FIRs against students and protesters and demanded that the outfit's members be included in the high-powered committee announced by the court to examine allegations of police excesses and violence against cops.

"If the government does not immediately demonstrate concrete steps towards honouring the July 25 commitments, the Cockroach Janta Party will convene its National Working Committee within the next two days to decide the next course of nationwide action," CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das told reporters.

He said the outfit had called off its nationwide agitation on July 25 in good faith after the government gave commitments on withdrawal of FIRs, protection of protesters from punitive action and compensation to affected families.

In a statement posted on X, Das said the Supreme Court had sought a list of FIRs registered against students and protesters across the country from the Union government so that it could consider quashing them at one go by exercising its powers under Article 142.

He alleged that the Union government's lawyer did not commit to furnishing the list and instead resisted the move. Das said if the government does not take concrete steps towards honouring the July 25 commitments, the CJP's National Working Committee will meet in the next two days.

"What CJP does next will depend entirely upon what the Government of India chooses to do now," he said.

Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Das said the apex court during the day's hearing on the alleged violence against protesters on July 20 in and around Jantar Mantar had asked the government three times to provide a list of FIRs registered against protesters.

"The government has not given a commitment to the Supreme Court today that they are going to give it (the list of FIRs). The Supreme Court said three times to the government today that you should give us this list, only then will we quash it." He demanded that the government submit to the Supreme Court the list of cases that can be quashed.

Das said the petitioners, through their lawyer Vrinda Grover, urged the Supreme Court to invoke Article 142 to quash the FIRs against protesters across the country.

According to Das, Grover told the court that the Centre should have no objection to such a move as its representatives, including Union ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh, had agreed to the demands of the protesters when the agitation was called off on July 25.

In his statement, Das said the court had offered the government an alternative in case there were FIRs involving "hardened criminals" with a history of heinous offences who were alleged to have committed violence during the protests. Such cases, he said, could be identified separately and dealt with on their own merits.

He claimed the government had also not honoured its assurances on compensation and had failed to hold subsequent meetings with representatives of the CJP.

"If you have given a commitment, then you will have to honour it. You are not honouring all the commitments you have made about compensation, about FIRs. So, you have betrayed the entire country," Das said.

He said the young people of the country were entitled to ask whether the government had intended to honour its word or whether the assurances given by two Union ministers on July 25 were merely meant to end the peaceful nationwide movement.

"We will not permit the Government to play games with the trust of India's students, Gen-Z and young citizens," Das said.

CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh said the last meeting between the organisation and the government delegation was on August 2 and a draft, vetted by lawyers, had subsequently been shared.

She alleged that there had been no response from the government to requests for another meeting.

"They even agreed that they will take a stand in the court with respect to invoking Article 142. They have not taken any such stand today," Singh said, adding that the draft prepared with the government should be brought before the court.

Das said the government had identified around 2,800 "hardened criminals" and argued that those facing serious criminal charges should be dealt with separately from peaceful protesters.

"If you want to take action against them, that is a different issue altogether. But the issue of the students, the issue of the protestors, is related to the FIR," he said.

On the proposed high-powered committee, Singh said the CJP wants its representatives to be included and insisted that the panel should comprise independent members. "We are sure that the High-Powered Committee will find a solution as long as it is independent. But we would also like the members of the CJP team to be a part of it." The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would constitute a high-powered committee comprising retired apex court and high court judges, a former DGP, and an ex-CBI director to examine allegations of police excesses against student protesters and violence against police personnel.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said an order for constituting the committee would be released on Wednesday after it receives suggestions from parties on other members to be included in the panel.

Speaking to the media, Das also questioned the use of facial recognition technology during the Jantar Mantar protest, saying protesters were photographed, videographed and monitored through CCTV cameras.

"There are several constitutional questions concerning the facial recognition technology. There is a lot of misuse that can happen. I think safeguards need to be put in place," Das said, urging the Supreme Court to examine whether such surveillance was constitutional.

Asked about political allegations involving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Das said the CJP did not want to be drawn into a political blame game and asked the government to focus on the students and protesters. Das also alleged that labels like "Urban Naxals" and "Dimaagi Naxals" were aimed at discrediting young people.

The BJP has accused the CJP of being a proxy for AAP.

Das said the CJP had launched a nationwide "School Theek Karo" campaign under which young people were documenting infrastructure problems in schools. The organisation was beginning a nationwide tour and would decide its next course of action based on the government's response.

He alleged that protesters were subjected to excessive force and sexual assault during the July 20 incident, and these allegations should be examined independently.

"There is nothing to welcome here. Let something concrete happen, then we will welcome," Das said when asked about the Supreme Court proceedings.

The apex court said that the committee will also look into allegations concerning sexual assault and online harassment of female protestors and victimisation of other vulnerable persons through social media. PTI AO RT