Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis directs home dept to withdraw FIRs against protesters involved in NEET stir
MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed home department officials to issue orders for the withdrawal of cases registered against students who participated in recent protests held in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).Senior Home Department officials said the necessary order relating to the withdrawal of cases registered during the student protests will be issued at the earliest.Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad said, “The Central government should issue directions to withdraw the cases registered against students across the country and the state immediately withdraw such cases. These cases are adversely affecting students who have applied for visas to pursue higher education abroad or seek employment.”Thousands of students staged protests in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra during the CJP-led agitation, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resignation over the alleged examination paper leak issue. Police registered multiple FIRs against protesters and later issued notices asking several students to record their statements.Opposition parties urged the govt to issue a formal order withdrawing the cases, arguing that the pending FIRs caused legal uncertainty for students and could affect their higher education and career prospects.Although the govt announced its decision to withdraw the cases, no official communication was issued so far.A group of advocates assisting students facing FIRs appealed to the govt to withdraw the cases immediately, warning that it would put students’ futures at risk, particularly those planning to pursue higher studies abroad or appear for competitive examinations.The advocates said many students were living in fear after receiving police notices.According to the advocates, several students who were not named as accused in the FIRs also received notices, as the police were trying to ascertain whether they were present at the protest site and whether they should be added to the cases.The Congress said there should never have been FIRs against students for participating in a democratic protest, arguing that police generally dealt with political agitations without resorting to criminal cases.Advocate Kalyani Mangave, along with a group of practising advocates, provided legal assistance to students during the protests, and said the group received more than 1,000 calls from students seeking legal help.“There were two major issues,” Mangave said. “First, several students were detained at railway stations without justification while they were on their way to protest sites. Second, FIRs were registered without proper verification, putting students’ futures at risk.”She said many FIRs did not name all the students involved in the protests, yet police issued notices to those suspected of being present at the protest site to verify their identities and determine their role, creating anxiety among students.One student said she received a police notice via text message but did not appear before the police, maintaining that she had done nothing wrong and had merely participated in the protest
