New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to issue orders prohibiting a protest march organised by the Cockroach Janata Party scheduled for September 5, stating that it expects all parties to act and behave in a peaceful and lawful manner.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed the petitioner to submit his plea to the High-Powered Enquiry Committee, which was constituted earlier to investigate allegations of police violence during recent NEET-related demonstrations. Issuing notice in the matter, the top court tagged the plea with pending petitions and scheduled the next hearing for September 10.
The Bench observed that enforcing agencies hold the responsibility to maintain law and order and define what is permissible under the law, adding that both law enforcement and demonstrators are expected to operate within that framework, respect boundaries, and follow the law of the land.
The CJP called for the national capital march on Teachers’ Day, accusing the central government of failing to honour commitments made on July 25 to end a 36-day agitation against examination irregularities. The planned march is set to be led by families of students who died by suicide following the NEET cancellation and re-test, alongside demonstrators who faced alleged police excesses during the July protests.
The plea, moved by retired Delhi Police officer Rajendra Singh, had sought directions barring large-scale public demonstrations in high-security zones such as India Gate and Central Vista without prior regulatory clearances. The petitioner also sought the regulation or postponement of assemblies in Lutyens’ Delhi until after the conclusion of the BRICS Summit scheduled for September 12 to 13, while police authorities noted that no formal request had been received for the proposed route from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters.
