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Advocate Vrinda Grover on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's order to quash FIRs registered against protesters during demonstrations over the NEET paper leak, saying the move will provide relief to students and youth who participated in the protests.
Grover said protests were held from July 20 to 25 at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and in several parts of the country, with protesters demanding reforms in the education system. "As we know, from July 20 to 25, there were very active protests in Delhi at Jantar Mantar and in many parts of the country relating to reform in education. During the protests, police across states lodged criminal cases against the protesters and the youth," she told reporters here. She further referred to an assurance given by the Union Government on July 25, saying that the government had assured representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party that it would not pursue the criminal proceedings against the protesters and would provide compensation. "There is now an assurance that was given on July 25 by the Union Government to the Cockroach Janta Party representatives that it will not pursue any of the criminal proceedings and that it will provide compensation," Grover said. The protests followed allegations of irregularities and a paper leak in the NEET-UG examination, with students and youth demanding greater transparency and reforms in the examination system. The issue had triggered protests across several parts of the country, with demonstrators seeking accountability and measures to ensure that competitive examinations are conducted fairly. The development comes amid continued demands for reforms and greater transparency in the conduct of major entrance examinations. Earlier, the Supreme Court on Tuesday invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to quash FIRs registered in connection with pan-India protests held between July 20 and 25 over the NEET 2026 examination, after the Centre gave assurances before the court on demands raised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Following the Centre's assurances and the court's directions, the CJP called off its proposed protest scheduled for September 5. The Supreme Court was hearing applications filed by Delhi Police and the states of Maharashtra, Assam, Bihar and West Bengal seeking directions concerning FIRs registered in connection with protests in which thousands of students and youth participated. The court recorded that the Central Government and the applicant states had consciously decided not to proceed with the FIRs so that students and youth who participated in the protests would not face consequences merely for taking part in the demonstrations. The court observed that "mere participation in protests shall not be taken as an offence" and directed that the FIRs covered by its order would not be pursued. (ANI)
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