Gujarat Government Orders Withdrawal of FIRs Against NEET Protestors

The Gujarat Home Department has directed the Director General of Police to withdraw all criminal cases and FIRs filed against students, youth, and other participants in protests over the NEET UG paper leak. In a letter dated July 31, the state government instructed that no legal or penal action be pursued against those who participated in the demonstrations, which were held in solidarity with agitations at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The order follows a July 28 Supreme Court ruling that restrained police from taking coercive action against student protesters. On August 3, the Supreme Court further clarified that state governments may close or withdraw such cases, provided the relief does not extend to individuals involved in grave and heinous criminal offenses. The protests, which included demands for accountability and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, ended on July 25 after Mr. Pradhan resigned and the Union government accepted the demands of the Cockroach Janta Party. While the Home Department did not specify the total number of cases, reports indicate that most major centers in Gujarat did not lodge FIRs. However, in Surat, four individuals were booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly burning an effigy of Mr. Pradhan on July 21. The Surat Deputy Commissioner of Police stated that the department would review the Supreme Court directions before implementing the withdrawal.