The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday warned that it would revive its nationwide protest if the Centre and the BJP or NDA-ruled state governments fail to honour their alleged commitment to withdraw FIRs against protesters, saying the deadline for fulfilling the assurance ends today.
In a statement, CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said the Supreme Court's interim order in a batch of PILs related to the party's protests had sparked serious concerns, particularly over the direction permitting governments to proceed with investigations in existing FIRs.
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“The court's direction contradicts the assurance given by the Government of India on July 25 that FIRs against protesters would be withdrawn and that no participant in the peaceful agitation would face direct or indirect punitive action,” the spokesperson said.
He said, “CJP had called off its nationwide protest solely on the basis of this assurance and in "complete good faith".
He also questioned why the government's legal representatives did not inform the Supreme Court about the understanding reached with the party, despite discussions continuing until late the previous night.
The spokesperson maintained that the interim order does not prevent either the Centre or state governments from withdrawing the FIRs or choosing not to pursue cases against peaceful protesters.
He cited Bihar and Assam as examples where such action had been taken and argued that the executive continues to retain the authority to withdraw criminal proceedings.
The CJP urged the Centre to place the details of its "assurance" before the Supreme Court to ensure transparency and enable the court to consider the matter with full knowledge of the commitments made.
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Warning of renewed agitation, the party said the government must fulfil every promise made to protesters, including withdrawing FIRs and ensuring that no future action is taken against those who participated in the demonstrations.
Failure to do so, it said, would leave the CJP with no option but to restart its nationwide protest, asserting that "a government that breaks its word cannot expect the youth to remain silent.”
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