On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to issue directions on a petition seeking a ban on a protest march organized by the Cockroach Janata Party for September 5, stating that it anticipates all parties will conduct themselves peacefully and in accordance with the law.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana instructed the petitioner to submit his plea to the High Powered Enquiry Committee it had set up to examine allegations of police brutality during the NEET protests.
“Let the matter be listed along with pending petitions. To be heard on September 10,” the bench said, issuing notice in the matter.
They are required to uphold law and order, and the enforcement agency bears the duty to do so by determining what is unlawful and what is allowed. We anticipate that they will operate within this framework. From both parties, we expect that they will show respect, behave appropriately, and comply with the law of the land," the bench stated.
The CJP has announced a protest march in Delhi, alleging that the central government has not fulfilled the commitments made on July 25, which were intended to convince the group to end its 36-day demonstration over examination irregularities.
The city police previously stated that it had not received any application for a march from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters, even though the CJP had announced plans to hold one.
The petition, submitted by retired Delhi Police officer Rajendra Singh, requests an order that any public appeal for large-scale mobilisation, marches, or organised demonstrations in security-sensitive constitutional areas—such as India Gate, Central Vista, and nearby locations—should not be implemented unless the organisers have first secured the necessary permissions.
It further requests an order that any planned mobilisation in Lutyens’ Delhi be controlled, postponed, or appropriately altered until the BRICS Summit, scheduled for September 12-13, has concluded.
The plea further seeks a direction that no march or procession proceed beyond the authorised limits except in accordance with lawful permissions and the regulatory framework governing the concerned area.
The CJP march is set for Teachers’ Day and will be led by the families of students who died by suicide after the NEET was cancelled earlier this year and a re-test was ordered, along with families of those who faced police brutality during the July protests.