Supreme Court Quashes NEET Protest FIRs; CJP Calls It 'Absolute Justice'

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) quashed all First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against students who participated in the nationwide NEET protests held between July 20 and 25. The decision was welcomed by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, who described it as "absolute justice."

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also directed the Centre to provide compensation within three months to the families of students who died by suicide in connection with the NEET paper leak. The order came as a relief to the protestors who had been agitating at Jantar Mantar and other locations.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Dipke thanked the court and said the verdict dispensed justice to all those who fought at Jantar Mantar and to the families of the deceased. "Our demands have been met. This is absolute justice. It took us a month [for this]," he said, attributing the outcome to people's power.

Addressing the families of the victims, the CJP convener expressed sorrow, stating, "I apologise to the families that we could not save your kids. We are very sorry that you lost your kids." He alleged that the students lost their lives due to the government's failure and noted that the administration had accepted the responsibility to provide compensation.

Mr. Dipke further stressed that the government must ensure that no student loses their life due to a failure of the system. "The government has accepted the demands, but it has to take responsibility that not a single student dies due to paper leak," he added. "We cannot afford this anymore."

The CJP-led march on July 20 in Delhi witnessed clashes between protestors and security personnel, who used lathis and tear gas to disperse crowds attempting to move towards Parliament. The student-led protests, which spread to several cities, were centred around the demand for the resignation of the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The agitation, which began at Jantar Mantar on June 20, was called off on July 25 after Mr. Pradhan resigned and the government accepted the CJP's other demands.