On Monday, the Central government filed an application with the Supreme Court to quash the First Information Reports (FIRs) against protesters from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, as well as in other states. This legal move comes in response to the protests that have drawn attention in recent days.
Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta mentioned the plea before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. He said that the Centre seeks the top court to invoke its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to quash FIRs against protesters. The Supreme Court on Monday declined to urgently intervene against a protest march announced by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in New Delhi on September 5, observing that maintenance of law and order was primarily the responsibility of the government and police.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said there was no reason, at this stage, to presume that the proposed demonstration would result in any untoward incident.
The Supreme Court will take up the case on Tuesday. Ambedkar imagery was a vital part of the CJP-led protest. When Dipke arrived in India back in June, he exited the airport in Delhi holding a book by India’s first law minister.
