Centre asks SC to quash FIRs on NEET protesters; CJP's Dipke reacts with Ambedkar book, Saurav Das posts selfie

The Central government has moved an application in the Supreme Court of India seeking to quash first information reports registered against activists and students protesting the NEET paper leak. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the plea on Monday before a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The government requested the top court to exercise its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to drop charges against demonstrators led by the Cockroach Janta Party at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and in other states.

Police departments in Delhi and several states had filed multiple FIRs citing allegations of violence during the nationwide demonstrations against irregularities in the medical entrance exam. The Supreme Court scheduled the Centre's application for a formal hearing on Tuesday.

Following the legal development, key figures associated with the protests reacted on social media. Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke posted a photograph on X holding a book by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Dipke offered no written caption, keeping the focus entirely on the image of India's first law minister. Imagery associated with Ambedkar has been a recurring feature of the movement since Dipke arrived at the Delhi airport in June holding a similar text.

In addition, party spokesperson Saurav Das posted a selfie wearing black sunglasses on X, while social media user Ashutosh Ranka responded to the Centre's legal move with a meme.

The application comes shortly after the Supreme Court refused to issue urgent directions against a demonstration march called by the Cockroach Janta Party in New Delhi on September 5. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana ruled that maintaining public order was primarily the responsibility of the administration and law enforcement agencies.

The bench stated there was no immediate reason to believe the planned event would turn violent. Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that the court would presume everybody will behave in a peaceful manner, adding that there was no compelling circumstance at the present stage to assume any untoward incident would take place.

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