Guwahati: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday alleged that the Supreme Court’s interim order allowing investigations into FIRs registered during the nationwide student protests contradicted assurances given by the Centre during negotiations that ended the agitation at Jantar Mantar.
CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the party’s understanding with the government was that all FIRs against protesters would be withdrawn.
“The Supreme Court has now said that FIRs that were already registered will not be withdrawn.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.
“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.
In a post on X, Das said the Supreme Court should not be “politicised” and its orders should not be used to target genuine protesters.
“The Supreme Court cannot be politicised for the 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 All FIRs ought to be withdrawn,” he said.
Das said if any criminals were found among the protesters, the police should proceed against them in accordance with the law, but argued that this should not be used as a reason to continue FIRs against other protesters.
He said the CJP would continue to support the students who participated in the movement and reiterated that the government must honour the commitments made during negotiations.
Das said he met government representatives on Tuesday evening, during which officials cited the Supreme Court’s interim order permitting investigations into existing FIRs to continue. According to him, the government argued that the matter had become sub judice. He claimed he sought a written guarantee from the Centre but had not received any response till late Tuesday.
Warning of renewed agitation, Das alleged that failure to honour the assurances would amount to a “massive betrayal” of the country’s youth.
“We will launch a nationwide protest once again, as we remain committed to working in the best interests of students,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Das also claimed that the CJP had received notifications from the Bihar and Assam governments withdrawing cases against protesters and had been assured that no action would be taken against protesters in Rajasthan.
The Supreme Court, in its interim order, directed that no coercive action be taken against student protesters without a criminal record in cases linked to the CJP protests. It ordered the release of eligible detained students, directed authorities to preserve CCTV footage and other electronic evidence, and called for a fair investigation into injuries suffered by both protesters and police personnel. However, it did not order the withdrawal of existing FIRs and allowed investigations to continue.