The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that states can withdraw first information reports filed against youth protesters wherever permissible, in accordance with the law, Live Law reported.
The clarification came in response to concerns raised by petitioners that the court’s July 28 order, which allowed states to continue investigations into the FIRs, could hinder the withdrawal of cases. They argued that closing the FIRs was part of the Union government’s promise to leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign to end the protests.
It also came after the Union government submitted that it was “serious” about its assurance that amnesty would be granted to students who had participated in demonstrations, The Hindu reported.
In its July 28 order, the Supreme Court had directed that minors who had been detained should be released and no coercive action should be taken against protesting students as long as they did not have any “criminal antecedents”.
On Monday, the bench also clarified that the term “criminal antecedents” in the order referred only to “grave and heinous offences”.
The Cockroach Janta Party campaign on Monday said that following the Supreme Court’s clarification it expects all states with Bharatiya Janata Party governments “to immediately honour the assurances given on 25 July to the young of this country”.
“The youth of this country honoured their word,” Saurav…