'Not acceptable': CJP claims Supreme Court order on student FIRs contradicts govt assurances

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke warned of fresh protests if the government missed the Tuesday deadline on FIR withdrawal. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday said the Supreme Court's interim order allows authorities to continue investigating FIRs registered during the nationwide student protests, adding that it was contrary to the Centre's assurances during negotiations that led to the withdrawal of the agitation.CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said that the government must first honour the assurances it gave to protesters. (ANI)Chief spokesperson Saurav Das said that the party’s understanding with the government was that FIRs against protesters would be withdrawn and expected the assurance to be honoured.“The Supreme Court has now said that FIRs that were already registered will not be withdrawn. This is not what was discussed in our negotiations with the government,” Das said in an interview."Our understanding with the government was different, and we expect it to fulfil the assurances it gave us. The conditions being imposed by the Supreme Court are not acceptable to us,” he added.SC must not be ‘politicised’In another post on X, Saurav Das said the Supreme Court should not be "politicised" for the government's gains and its orders should not be used to target genuine protesters."The Supreme Court cannot be politicised for government’s gains. Its orders cannot be weaponised to achieve those gains. A solemn guarantee was given before the nation. Those ought to be honoured. All FIRs ought to be withdrawn," Das said.He added that if any criminals were found among protesters, police should take action through legal procedures instead of using FIRs to target others."If criminals roamed, police must apply for cancellation of bail in their old cases. Must also answer why they were roaming so freely in society. But government can’t use this excuse to pursue FIRs so it can later target genuine protesters," he said.Das added that the youth would not accept such action and said the CJP would continue to support protesters who participated in the movement.Das said the Supreme Court’s order should be seen as "in addition" to the CJP’s demands and urged the government to honour its commitments made to protesters.ALSO READ | Supreme Court orders all states to release protesting students under 18, those with no criminal records"If the Supreme Court is acting in the interest of the youth, we welcome such orders or judgments. We, on the other hand, have been active on the ground for a long time, and we have certain demands that must be met; that is the most important thing," Das told ANI.He said one of the party's key demands was the withdrawal of all FIRs against protesters and an assurance that no retaliatory action would be taken against them in the future."We expected a written guarantee regarding this to be issued by today (Tuesday), and for all those detained or arrested to be released," he said. Das said the party had already announced at a press conference on Monday that it would be "compelled to call for a major protest in Delhi once again" if the government failed to keep its word."Whatever the Supreme Court says should be 'in addition' to our demands. Our demands must be met first; the government should then comply with whatever the Supreme Court says or whatever relief it grants. That is our demand," he said.He and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke have warned that the party would launch another nationwide protest if the government failed to keep its promises.ALSO READ | Abhijeet Dipke warns govt of 'massive protest' if 'witch-hunting' of students does not stopWhat is the Supreme Court order?The Supreme Court, in its interim order, said no coercive action should be taken against student protesters without a criminal record in cases linked to the CJP protests.It ordered the release of eligible detained students, asked authorities to preserve CCTV footage and other electronic evidence, and called for a fair investigation into the injuries suffered by both protesters and police personnel. The court, though, did not order the withdrawal of existing FIRs and allowed investigations to continue.ALSO READ | CJP's Saurav Das shares big midnight update: No action on protesters in Bihar, Assam, Rajasthan, ‘govt has guaranteed’CJP questions orderIn a statement, Das said the SC order contradicted the government's assurance of July 25 that FIRs would be withdrawn and no protester would face legal action for participating in peaceful demonstrations.Das alleged that BJP-ruled states could use the court's order to continue proceedings against protesters and criticised the Centre for not informing the court about the alleged agreement reached with the CJP before the interim order was passed.He, though, said the court had not directed governments to continue with the FIRs and argued that the executive still retained the power to withdraw them. He asked the Centre and BJP/NDA-ruled state governments to place the terms of the alleged assurance before the Supreme Court so that the court could take them into account."The deadline for the Government of India to honour its guarantees expires today," Das said in the statement.Ranka's protest warningCJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka on Monday also called on the Centre, particularly Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh, to ensure that no charges were filed against protesters.On X, Ranka demanded the immediate withdrawal of all FIRs, the release of detained students and a commitment that no future cases would be filed against protesters by the Delhi Police, central investigative agencies or police in BJP-allied states."Failing which we will be forced to sit on protest again," he wrote.Addressing a press conference alongside Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Kapil Sibal, Ranka said the government was expected to share a written agreement on Tuesday outlining the commitments made to the CJP.He said if the agreement was not shared and detained students were not released, the party would have no option but to restart its protests.Assurances from Bihar, Assam, RajasthanEarlier in the day, the CJP said it had received notifications from the Bihar and Assam governments withdrawing cases against protesters. They were also assured that no action would be taken against protesters in Rajasthan, Saurav Das said.Follow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times. Operating round the clock, the desk brings together experienced editors, reporters and correspondents to deliver fast, accurate and contextual reporting across subjects that influence public policy, governance, business, society and international affairs. The HT News Desk covers politics, elections, government policies, the economy, business and markets, science and technology, the environment, law and order, infrastructure, education, climate issues and geopolitics, while closely tracking developments across states, institutions and global capitals. The team also leads coverage of major breaking news events, policy announcements, court proceedings, natural disasters, public emergencies and significant international developments. 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