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The Supreme Court today ordered that the FIRs registered across the country, in any State or Union Territory, over the student protests held between July 20 to July 25, should not be pursued or investigated and must be treated as closed for all intents and purposes.

The Court also quashed the FIRs over student protests which were specified in the applications filed by the Centre (Delhi Police), Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Assam.

Though only the Centre and the above-said four states filed the applications seeking to quash the FIRs, the Court extended the application of the order pan-India. The Court said that it was passing the order considering the future of the students who bona fide came to the protests.

The Court also ordered that no state/UT shall register any fresh FIR in relation to protest incidents between July 20-25.

The Court has however allowed the Delhi Police to pursue one FIR against 2,873 individuals who were present in the Jantar Mantar protests as they had serious criminal antecedents.

The bench of CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana passed the directions invoking the Court's special powers under Article 142 of the Constitution of India.  

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta submitted that the applications have been filed in pursuance of the promises given by the Central Government to the CJP leaders on July 25 that the cases against the protesters will be withdrawn and no future FIR would be registered over the same. The SG undertook that no future FIR would be registered in respect of the student protests which held in any part of the country from July 20 to July 25.

The SG also said that the Centre was committed to honour the assurance to give compensation to the families of students who died by suicide following the cancellation of the NEET-UG 2026 exam, but sought three months to work out the modalities. Since the Centre has acted on the assurances, the CJP is expected to call off the protest march it has announced in Delhi on September 5, the SG added.

In response, CJP Spokesperson Saurav Das, who was present in the Court, made a statement before the bench that the September 5 protest is being withdrawn.

"As co-convener of the CJP, I want to state that in view of the positive assurances of the Government of India and the judicial sanctity bestowed upon them today, and in view of the order being passed by this Court, the CJP deems it appropriate to withdraw the call for the march on September 5 and looks forward to compliance with today's order. I also thank the Court for this decision and the learned counsel on both sides, Ms. Vrinda Grover and the Solicitor General, for their efforts," Das read out a statement on behalf of the CJP.

While hearing the petitions related to the student protests on August 18, the Supreme Court had expressed its inclination to quash the FIRs invoking its special powers under Article 142. This was after the Court was told that there were legal complications in retracting the FIRs, as once registered, they can be closed only by filing a closure report, which the concerned Magistrate has the discretion to reject.

During the previous hearing, the SG had submitted that except for 2873 individuals, who have grave cases involving grievous offences of murder, rape, abductions etc, the cases against others can be quashed. "FIRs against student protestors must be quashed. How to do... your lordships can decide. Anti-social elements who infiltrated have to be probed," the Solicitor General said. 

Case Title: Yashovardhan Azan and Others v. Union of India and Others (and connected cases) 

Also Read - 'Can't Presume Anything Untoward Will Happen' : Supreme Court Refuses To Stop CJP's September 5 Protest

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