The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday, 28 July warned the Centre and BJP-ruled states of 'massive peaceful protests' if cases registered against participants of the anti-paper leak agitation are not withdrawn. The warning follows a Supreme Court interim order that, among other directions, permitted governments to proceed with existing FIRs and continue investigations against student protesters.

The Warning from CJP Leadership

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke posted on X that if police 'harassment' of students continues, the party 'will respond with a massive peaceful protest soon.' He demanded that the government 'stop targeting and witch-hunting students.' The statement marked an escalation in tone from the outfit, which had earlier called off its nationwide agitation.

CJP spokesperson Saurav Das issued a sharper warning, stating that the Supreme Court's interim order 'must ring alarm bells across the country.' He specifically cited Direction No. 4 of the order, which reportedly permits governments to proceed with existing FIRs, calling it a development that 'raises extremely serious concerns.'

The Contradiction Das Flagged

Das argued that the court's direction stands in 'direct contradiction' to assurances given by the Centre on 25 July, under which the government had reportedly committed to withdrawing FIRs and pledged that no protester would be directly or indirectly targeted for participating in the movement. It was 'on the strength of that solemn assurance, and in complete good faith,' Das said, that the CJP had called off its nationwide protest.

The outfit now claims a '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. Das described the court's order as 'wholly unacceptable,' adding 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.'

What CJP Says the Law Still Allows

Notably, Das acknowledged that nothing in the apex court's interim order prevents the Centre or NDA-ruled states from withdrawing FIRs or choosing not to pursue cases against peaceful protesters — pointing to the Bihar and Assam governments as examples of states that have already done so. 'The power to withdraw or not pursue such cases continues to rest with the executive,' he stated, adding that invoking the court's order as justification for walking back the 25 July commitment 'would be a deliberate misreading.'

Deadline and Next Steps

Das noted that the deadline for the Centre to honour its guarantees expired on 28 July. Should the government fail to act, the CJP has said it 'will have no option but to resume its nationwide protest.' In a direct warning to the 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.'

The standoff between the CJP and the Centre now hinges on whether state governments choose to exercise their executive discretion to drop the cases — a political decision the Supreme Court's interim order has neither compelled nor foreclosed.