Supreme Court Quashes FIRs Against Student Protesters, CJP Calls Off Delhi March

In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed all First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against student protesters in connection with demonstrations held between July 20 and July 25. The order, which applies across all states and union territories, brings relief to students who faced legal action following the 'Cockroach Janata Party' protests.

The court's decision came after the central government assured that it would withdraw cases related to the July 20 protest and would not register new FIRs for the same events. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the Centre, along with the governments of Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, and Maharashtra, had filed applications to quash the cases, honouring a commitment made to protest leaders on July 25.

However, the court permitted Delhi Police to proceed with one specific FIR against 2,873 individuals present at the Jantar Mantar protests, citing their serious criminal antecedents as the reason for the exception.

Following the verdict, the CJP announced the withdrawal of its proposed protest march scheduled for September 5 in Delhi. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das told the court that in light of the government's positive assurances and the judicial sanctity given to them, the group deemed it appropriate to cancel the march and looks forward to compliance with the order.

During the proceedings, the bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, suggested that the issue could be resolved if both sides engaged with trust. Mehta responded that the parties had approached the matter constructively, adding, "We are not enemies."

In a related matter, the Solicitor General stated that the Centre remained committed to providing compensation to families of students who died by suicide following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exam. The court directed the government to finalise the compensation modalities within three months.