The Supreme Court on Friday (October 9, 2026) refused to review its September 1 direction to quash FIRs against students and youth who participated in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak protests and were subject to a brutal police crackdown on July 20 in the national capital.
“You have to appreciate… We do not use Article 142 in every situation. Chief Justice Kant said there was a fine distinguishing line drawn in the September 1 order. The FIRs were quashed by the court using its extraordinary powers to administer complete justice under the Constitution. We did it concerned for their parents. These students have a long life. They have future prospects, we don’t want them entangled in court proceedings,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant addressed advocate Mathews Nedumpara, who appeared for the petitioner. Mumbai resident and senior citizen L. Ramanathan, in a petition filed through advocate Linto K.B., questioned the judicial overpowering of the basic police function to investigate a crime. “The police, while discharging its statutory functions of investigation, must be permitted to investigate offences freely, fairly and without extraneous interference which include interim judicial directions passed at an interlocutory stage. These interim directions have the effect of controlling, restraining, or micro-managing an ongoing investigation before its final outcome is tested on merits,” Mr. Nedumpara submitted. Only criminal cases registered against innocent protestors and students have been quashed. The police were given liberty to continue with its investigation against hardened criminals. Mr.
Nedumpara urged the court to consider the “lurking danger” of the misuse of Article 32 jurisdiction to subserve “ulterior” ends. The court had however allowed the Delhi Police to file a “fresh and specific” FIR against 2,873 individuals with criminal antecedents, who were spotted by facial recognition technology at the Central Delhi protest site. The court said the FIRs should not prejudice their rights, and should be given every opportunity to defend themselves.
