In the wake of the Supreme Court's interim order, a section of which allowed investigations into FIRs registered against student protesters, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday warned it would respond with "massive protests" if the Centre and BJP or NDA ruled states don't withdraw the cases lodged against the participants of the anti-paper leak protest.
Taking to X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke warned the Centre that if the "harassment" of students at the hands of the police continues, "the Cockroach Janta Party will respond with a massive peaceful protest soon".
"The Govt must stop targeting and witch-hunting students," he added.
In a post on X, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das also said that the interim order passed by the Supreme Court on a batch of PILs related to the CJP protest "must ring alarm bells across the country".
He particularly cited Direction No. 4, which reportedly permits governments to proceed with existing FIRs and carry out investigations, saying that it "raises extremely serious concerns".
Das stated that the SC's direction stands in "direct contradiction" to the assurances given by the Centre on July 25, namely, that the FIRs would be withdrawn and that no protester would be directly or indirectly targeted for participating in the peaceful movement.
He added that it was "on the strength of that solemn assurance, and in complete good faith, that the Cockroach Janta Party called off its nationwide protest".
He said that the outfit now has "credible apprehension" that the Centre and BJP-ruled states "may seek to use and weaponise" the order of the bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to continue FIRs against individual protesters and "subject them to great harassment".
"This was precisely our concern from day one: that courts could be used, directly or indirectly, to achieve political ends by targeting peaceful dissent."
"The court's uninformed order is therefore wholly unacceptable," Das underlined.
He added that a public assurance given to thousands of young protesters cannot be "diluted, undermined, or rendered meaningless through subsequent legal developments, in a surreptitious manner", asserting that it only results in "breach of public trust".
However, Das noted that nothing in the apex court's interim order prevents the Centre or the NDA or BJP-ruled states from withdrawing the FIRs or deciding not to proceed against peaceful protesters, as done by the Bihar and Assam governments.
"The power to withdraw or not pursue such cases continues to rest with the executive. The court has not mandated that governments must definitely continue with the FIRs. That would be a deliberate misreading. The Government must not invoke the Court’s order as a justification for reneging on the commitment it made on 25 July," he stated in the post.
"The youth of India entered into this understanding in good faith. That good faith must not be betrayed. Institutions of constitutional importance must never be politicised and weaponised to not honour the guarantees," Das underlined.
Echoing the view of the outfit's founder, he highlighted that the deadline for the Centre to honour its guarantees expires today.
He said that if the Centre fails to stick to its assurance in letter and spirit, "as previously declared, the Cockroach Janta Party will have no option but to resume its nationwide protest to protect the students and young protesters who stood up not for themselves alone, but for the future of this nation".
In a warning to the BJP-led ruling coalition, Das said: "A government that breaks its word cannot expect the youth to remain silent. If the guarantees are dishonoured, the streets of India will once again become the voice of its young."
Picture Courtesy: X/ Cockroach is Back
