Four States Join Centre's Plea To Quash CJP FIRs

On Tuesday, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar came before the Supreme Court seeking an order to withdraw the cases related to the Cockroach Janta Party agitation which occurred in July. It should be noted that all four states have joined the Centre’s position in not taking any further action against the cases arising out of the massive protests. The applications were filed by the Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, before the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant.

States Back Centre's Move

According to Mehta, the pleas were submitted individually in each of the four states that faced complaints regarding the protests, which had to be withdrawn. He requested that the pleas be heard at 2 pm simultaneously so as to allow the court time to consider them off-site. The Chief Justice granted the request that all the pleas be considered but asked that the states ensure that their pleas were not lacking anything before the hearing. This occurred on the very day when the government requested that the court withdraw 13 petitions in Delhi and introduce another against 2,873 persons with prior criminal record.

Panel Examining July Protest Violence

The major bone of contention dates back to the "Chalo Sansad" protest march which took place on July 20 when the police resorted to the use of excessive force, such as tear gas and pellets against the protesters. An investigative committee consisting of five individuals led by a Supreme Court judge, R Subhash Reddy, has been established to investigate allegations against the police and protesters regarding excessive use of force. The committee is conducting its investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court, whose findings will guide the court's decision in this case.