SC orders fresh FIR against 2,800 'criminals' at protest: CJP

The Supreme Court has ordered a fresh FIR to probe 2,800 alleged criminals identified at a Jantar Mantar protest via facial recognition, CJP's Saurav Das said. The court also quashed other FIRs after the Centre assured compensation.

Fresh FIR to Probe 2,800 'Hardened Criminals': CJP

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das on Tuesday said the Supreme Court has directed the registration of a fresh FIR in Delhi to investigate around 2,800 alleged hardened criminals who were identified through facial recognition technology as being present at the Jantar Mantar protest site.

Das said the matter was discussed during negotiations with the government after the Delhi Police raised concerns over the presence of the alleged criminals at the protest site. "Regarding the Delhi Police's apprehension, based on facial recognition technology, that around 2,800 alleged hardened criminals were present at the protest site, we argued during negotiations with the government that if these 2,800 hardened criminals were indeed present, the first question was why they were roaming freely in society in the first place," Das told reporters here.

He said that if any of the identified individuals were involved in serious offences at the protest site, they should face investigation and legal action.

"Secondly, if they committed any heinous crimes, such as rape, murder, or other grave offences, at the protest site, then they should be prosecuted, investigated, and imprisoned," he said.

Das said the Supreme Court has now ordered that a separate FIR be registered in Delhi to investigate the identified individuals. "Consequently, the Supreme Court has ordered that a separate, fresh FIR be registered in Delhi to investigate the around 2,800 identified hardened criminals. That issue has now been resolved," he said.

Compensation Assured

On compensation, Das said the CJP had urged the government to give an assurance before the Supreme Court that affected families would receive compensation within 90 days. "We urged the government to state before the Supreme Court that the compensation, in an honourable amount, would be paid within 90 days. The funds will be credited directly to the families' bank accounts. The government gave this assurance to the Supreme Court today, and the Court accepted it, granting it judicial sanctity by incorporating it into its order," Das said.

Supreme Court Quashes NEET Protest FIRs

This comes after the Supreme Court on Tuesday invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to quash FIRs registered in connection with pan-India protests held between July 20 and 25 over the NEET 2026 examination, after the Centre gave assurances before the court on demands raised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

Following the Centre's assurances and the court's directions, the CJP called off its proposed protest scheduled for September 5.

The Supreme Court was hearing applications filed by Delhi Police and the states of Maharashtra, Assam, Bihar and West Bengal seeking directions concerning FIRs registered in connection with protests in which thousands of students and youth participated.

Delhi Police, however, sought an exception in the case of 2,873 individuals in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, citing their alleged criminal antecedents as reflected in the national database.

The police submitted that allegations against these individuals included bodily harm and destruction of property.

The Supreme Court permitted the Central Government and Delhi Police to register FIRs against the 2,873 individuals in accordance with law. (ANI)

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