The government invoked Article 142 while seeking relief for students; cases involving alleged grave offences may require separate consideration.
NEW DELHI:
The Supreme Court agreed on Monday evening to hear a Union government application seeking the quashing of FIRs registered against students during nationwide protests over the alleged NEET examination paper leak.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana listed the application for September 1 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought an urgent hearing.
Mehta said the Centre intended to invoke Article 142 of the Constitution, which empowers the Supreme Court to pass orders necessary to ensure complete justice in a pending matter.
The precise number of FIRs covered and the offences proposed for withdrawal were not specified in the latest report. Quashing a case would remove the criminal proceeding; it would not amount to a determination that every allegation made during the protests was false.
The Supreme Court had previously said state governments were free to withdraw cases against eligible protesters. It excluded people accused of grave or heinous offences from any general relief.
The distinction is important because cases arising from demonstrations may range from allegations involving unlawful assembly or obstruction to more serious accusations of violence or destruction of property. Each category may require a different legal assessment.
The proposed relief comes before another Delhi march announced for September 5 by the Cockroach Janta Party. The Supreme Court earlier declined to restrict that protest in advance, leaving permissions and security arrangements to the authorities.
Tuesday’s hearing should clarify the scope of the Centre’s request, whether states consent to a consolidated order and which cases, if any, remain outside the proposed settlement.
