New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure of FIRs registered across India against students who took part in protests linked to the NEET paper leak between July 20 and 25, saying the cases should not stand in the way of their future prospects. The ruling also recorded the Centre's commitment to formulate a nationwide policy for compensating families of NEET-UG aspirants who died by suicide following the examination crisis, with the compensation to be provided within three months.

The order prompted the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which had led the student protests, to withdraw its planned September 5 march in Delhi. CJP co-convener Saurav Das made the announcement before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana.

The court said FIRs relating to the protests during the July 20 to 25 period should not be pursued or investigated and would be treated as closed. It also said that if similar cases had been registered in any state or Union Territory but were not before the court, they too would not be pursued.

The bench invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, which allows the Supreme Court to pass orders necessary to do complete justice. The court said the decision was taken considering the future prospects of the young protesters and was subject to the understanding reached between the parties being honoured.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the Centre, along with Maharashtra, Assam, Bihar and West Bengal, had sought the quashing of FIRs connected with the agitation. The relief was subsequently extended to similar cases across the country.

There was, however, an exception. The court allowed Delhi Police to proceed with a case involving 2,873 people who were present at the Jantar Mantar protest and were found to have serious criminal antecedents.

The Centre also told the court that it would formulate a nationwide compensation policy for families who lost their children after the NEET examination controversy. The process and modalities are to be worked out within three months, with the government providing compensation to the affected families.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda welcomed the ruling and said the government had already assured protesting students on July 25 that cases against them would be withdrawn and that no stringent action would be taken. Nadda said he and Union minister Jitendra Singh had met representatives of the students at Jantar Mantar that day.

"The welfare and progress of the country's youth remains the government's utmost priority," Nadda told reporters. He also welcomed the withdrawal of the September 5 protest.

Das told the court that, following the government's assurances and the judicial order, the CJP had decided to withdraw its proposed march from India Gate to Delhi Police Headquarters. The organisation had announced the mobilisation on August 24, alleging that commitments made on July 25 had not been fully honoured.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke described Tuesday's ruling as "absolute justice" and said the group's demands had been met. He also apologised to families who had lost their children and called for steps to prevent students from losing their lives because of failures in the examination system.

Advocate Vrinda Grover, who represented the CJP, called the ruling "historic and significant", saying it recognised the importance of the right to protest and seek accountability.

The protests had begun at Jantar Mantar on June 20 and continued for 36 days before being called off on July 25. The agitation spread to several cities and included a July 20 march in Delhi, where protesters attempting to move towards Parliament clashed with security personnel. Police used lathis and teargas shells to disperse the crowd.

The agitation had sought, among other demands, the resignation of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protests were withdrawn on July 25 after Pradhan resigned and the government accepted the CJP's other demands.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.