CJP Calls Off September 5 Delhi March After Centre Moves to Withdraw FIRs Against Protesters

The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has called off its proposed September 5 protest march in Delhi after the Centre moved to withdraw cases registered against student protesters. The decision came on Tuesday, September 1, just a day after the Supreme Court refused to pass an immediate order stopping the planned march. The CJP said it was withdrawing the protest call in view of the steps taken by the Centre on the issue of the FIRs.

The development is significant because the Supreme Court did not order the CJP march to be cancelled. On August 31, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined to intervene in the proposed September 5 demonstration and said there was no reason at that stage to presume that anything untoward would happen. The court said protesters and law-enforcement agencies were expected to act peacefully and within the law, while leaving law-and-order decisions to the authorities.

The immediate issue behind the CJP's decision was the FIRs filed after the July protests. The Delhi Police has approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash 13 FIRs registered in connection with the CJP-led protests between July 20 and 25. The police said that, following the Centre's decision of July 25, it no longer wished to pursue those cases and sought the Supreme Court's approval under Article 142 of the Constitution.

The government's move, however, does not mean that every person who was present during the protests will automatically be cleared of any investigation. Delhi Police has also sought permission to register a separate FIR concerning 2,873 people who were allegedly present at the protest site and were identified as having serious criminal antecedents, with their individual roles in alleged offences to be investigated.

The proposed CJP September 5 march had been announced after the organisation accused the Centre of failing to honour assurances made when its earlier 36-day agitation was withdrawn on July 25. The planned demonstration was to begin at India Gate and proceed towards the Delhi Police Headquarters, with the group saying it would be peaceful. The protest was linked to demands concerning FIRs against protesters and allegations surrounding police action during the July agitation.

The latest development therefore changes the situation within just 24 hours. The Supreme Court did not stop the September 5 march; the CJP withdrew it after the Centre and Delhi Police took steps towards resolving the FIR issue. The Supreme Court is continuing to hear matters connected with the July protests, including the Centre's application concerning the FIRs. Four states: Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar, have also approached the court seeking permission to quash cases arising from the protests.

For now, the proposed September 5 CJP Delhi march will not take place. The focus has shifted from street mobilisation to the Supreme Court proceedings over the FIRs and the government's implementation of the assurances that led to the withdrawal of the earlier agitation.