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Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court's judgment to quash all First Information Reports (FIRs) filed across the country against protesters during the NEET UG paper leak protests, saying that "true justice has been served" for students and families who had raised their voices over the controversy.
Speaking to reporters, Dipke thanked the Supreme Court for its decision and said the order was a victory for those who protested at Jantar Mantar as well as people across the country who supported the movement through social media. "I want to thank the Court very much that today, true justice has been served for all those who were fighting at Jantar Mantar for the children who committed suicide in the NEET exam. Today, true justice has also been served for the families who lost their children due to the paper leak," Dipke said. He said the verdict was a victory for every person who participated in the protests, raised their voice on social media or shared messages of support on WhatsApp. "And this is a victory for every person who took to the streets during this protest, not just at Jantar Mantar, but across the country. This is a victory for every person who, even if they didn't take to the streets, still posted on social media. This is also a victory for those who posted stories on their WhatsApp," he said. "It doesn't matter how you were raising your voice; you raising your voice is a victory. And therefore, this is a victory for all of you. Without all of you raising your voices, I don't think this would have been possible," Dipke added. He said a delegation from Delhi had travelled to Maharashtra and held meetings to work towards ensuring that the demands of the students were met and another protest was prevented. "And it was your strength, your voice, that allowed a delegation from Delhi to come to Maharashtra and hold meetings there, trying to do whatever it takes to ensure that the demands are met and prevent another protest. So, I believe it's the power of the people that made this possible," he said. Further, Dipke said he had held several meetings with delegations over the past two to three days, including with a delegation from Delhi, with the focus on securing justice for students and their families. "For the past two or three days, I've been having meetings after meetings with delegations, especially a delegation from Delhi... a delegation came here. We had seven or eight meetings, and our sole focus in those meetings was how to ensure absolute justice for all the students fighting for their rights, for all the families fighting for justice for their children," he said. Calling the verdict a victory for Indians who continued to raise their voices despite threats and lathi charges, Dipke said people had not backed down from demanding justice. "So, this is a victory for all Indians who raised their voices, and despite so many threats and so many lathi charges, you haven't stopped speaking out. You didn't fear, you didn't retreat; this victory belongs to you," he said. Dipke also apologised to the families of NEET students who lost their lives, saying their children had worked hard to pursue their dream of becoming doctors. "And to the families of NEET students... to the families of NEET students, I want to say, first of all, I want to apologise to you. We couldn't save your children. And that... I know this loss can never be filled. This shouldn't have happened to your children; whatever happened was wrong. And I wish it hadn't happened," he said. He said he had met several families, including the fathers of Akanksha, Kahaan Patel, Pradeep Meghwal and Riya Thapa, and expressed his condolences to them. "But today I want to say this to all these families: We're very sorry that you have to... you've lost your children, and it wasn't their fault. Those children weren't at fault. They worked very hard, they studied very diligently, they... they did everything they could to become doctors," Dipke said. "It was the government's failure that cost your children their lives," he added. Meanwhile, the CJP called off its proposed protest scheduled for September 5 after the Supreme Court 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. (ANI)
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