CJI Surya Kant (File photo) NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Saturday asserted that the judiciary would not “look the other way” when students’ fundamental right to hold peaceful protests is “infringed.”The CJI made the remarks during an “unfiltered interaction” with students at Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) in Patna. According to a university statement, he told the students that he preferred a “frank question-and-answer session.”During the interaction, a student asked the CJI about the “police response to peaceful students’ protests”.According to the statement, CJI Kant told the student that “courts will not look the other way” in cases involving alleged police brutality. He also “unequivocally reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to protecting students’ peaceful right to protest.”The reference was to the Jantar Mantar protests in Delhi against the NEET exam paper leaks, spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a youth pressure group. The CJP began as a satirical online campaign following the CJI’s “cockroaches” remark in the Supreme Court, which he later clarified had been reported out of context.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesA CJP-called march to Parliament on July 20 ended in clashes between protesters and Delhi Police and other security forces. The protests were called off on July 25 after then-Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, fulfilling the CJP’s principal demand. The group had also sought an assurance that no student who participated in the demonstrations would be booked.On September 1, a CJI-led bench quashed the FIRs registered in connection with the July 20 clashes after the Centre and state governments assured the Supreme Court that cases against the protesters would not be pursued and no fresh FIRs would be registered over the same incidents.The order, however, does not apply to 2,873 people with criminal backgrounds who were identified at the Jantar Mantar demonstrations.(With PTI inputs)Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorKaran ManralKaran Manral is a journalist at the Times of India. He covers politics, social issues, and international affairs, exploring stories that affect people’s everyday lives. He also writes explainers to make these stories easier for readers to follow.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosSkyStriker, HIMARS, Apache: India, US Showcase Firepower At Yudh Abhyas 2026 | WatchTibet Govt-in-Exile Reprimands Activist Sonam Wangchuk, Calls Comparison ‘Misplaced and Inaccurate’India’s Savage ‘Osama’ Reply To Pak PM’s UN Bluster; ‘Repeating Lies Won’t Make It True’‘A Terrorist Country Asking Me That Question’: Jaishankar’s Sharp Reply To Pak Journalist At UN’SIR’ Under Fire? IIT-Bombay, Election Commission Face Accountability Questions | PrasangMassive Protest Erupts At Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Against Gyanesh Kumar Over EC-SIR RowUAPA ‘Missing’: What Allowed VanDyke, 6 Ukrainians To Leave India? The Legal Gap Explained‘Made In UP’ Missiles Giving Pakistan Sleepless Nights: Amit Shah On BrahMosOmar Abdullah Moves Full Statehood Resolution In J&K Assembly, BJP Protest Sparks House UproarThird Bihar Harassment Case In A Week: Minor Girl Targeted In Banka, Video Surfaces123Hot PicksMandeep K BhandariBank strikeNEET PG ResultGold Rate TodayOctober 2026 School HolidaysTN programmePunjab school holidayMadurantakam bypollDr MonishCBSE Date SheetTop TrendingNorma DumontRahul GandhiPowerball JackpotDelhi Hit and RunUP EncounterDonald TrumpPM ModiNaomi OsakaJoe ThomasSupreme Court
NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Saturday asserted that the judiciary would not “look the other way” when students’ fundamental right to hold peaceful protests is “infringed.”The CJI made the remarks during an “unfiltered interaction” with students at Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) in Patna. According to a university statement, he told the students that he preferred a “frank question-and-answer session.“During the interaction, a student asked the CJI about the “police response to peaceful students’ protests”.According to the statement, CJI Kant told the student that “courts will not look the other way” in cases involving alleged police brutality. He also “unequivocally reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to protecting students’ peaceful right to protest.”The reference was to the Jantar Mantar protests in Delhi against the NEET exam paper leaks, spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a youth pressure group. The CJP began as a satirical online campaign following the CJI’s “cockroaches” remark in the Supreme Court, which he later clarified had been reported out of context.
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A CJP-called march to Parliament on July 20 ended in clashes between protesters and Delhi Police and other security forces. The protests were called off on July 25 after then-Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, fulfilling the CJP’s principal demand. The group had also sought an assurance that no student who participated in the demonstrations would be booked.On September 1, a CJI-led bench quashed the FIRs registered in connection with the July 20 clashes after the Centre and state governments assured the Supreme Court that cases against the protesters would not be pursued and no fresh FIRs would be registered over the same incidents.The order, however, does not apply to 2,873 people with criminal backgrounds who were identified at the Jantar Mantar demonstrations.(With PTI inputs)
