Withdrawing September 5 Protest : CJP Leader Saurav Das Tells Supreme Court As Centre Acts To Withdraw... - Live Law

**Supreme Court Quashes FIRs Against September 5 NEET Protesters, CJP Leader Speaks Out**

New Delhi – In a landmark ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court ordered the cancellation of all First‑Information Reports (FIRs) lodged against participants in the September 5 nationwide protest against the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The bench, comprising Justices U.U. Lalit, A.S. Bopanna and J.B. Pardiwala, held that the police actions violated the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, and directed that no new FIRs be filed in connection with the demonstration. The only exception permitted by the court is for cases where the accused have a documented criminal antecedent, a narrow carve‑out that will be examined on a case‑by‑case basis.

Representing the Common Justice Party (CJP), activist Saurav Das addressed the bench, urging the court to uphold the withdrawal of the protest and to prevent further punitive measures against demonstrators. Das argued that the September 5 march was a legitimate expression of student grievances over the NEET’s perceived socio‑economic bias and that the subsequent police response—characterised by mass arrests and intimidation—constituted an abuse of power. He also highlighted that the Central Government had recently moved to withdraw pending petitions related to the protest, signalling an implicit acknowledgment of the overreach.

The ruling has drawn praise from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with Union Minister Rajnath Singh Nadda stating, “We are keeping the future of our students in mind; the Supreme Court’s decision reaffirms our commitment to safeguard democratic dissent while ensuring academic integrity.” Legal experts anticipate that the judgment will set a precedent for handling future student movements, as the Supreme Court also issued an interim injunction barring law enforcement agencies from registering fresh FIRs tied to similar protests across the country. The decision is expected to prompt a review of police protocols and may influence legislative reforms concerning the regulation of public assemblies.

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