Quash FIRs against student protestors; central government moves Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The central government filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking quashing of cases registered in connection with the student protests in Delhi and other states of the country. The court, which accepted the application filed through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, agreed to consider the case tomorrow. The case will be considered by a bench headed by Chief Justice Suryakant.

The Solicitor General brought the matter to the court's attention when the Supreme Court bench was about to adjourn after concluding its proceedings. The court accepted Tushar Mehta's request to consider the matter tomorrow itself.

The Supreme Court had earlier expressed its willingness to invoke Article 142 of the Constitution to remove legal hurdles in withdrawing cases against students. Once an FIR is registered, a report has to be submitted before the magistrate to close it. However, the magistrate has the legal power to dismiss this report. The court is using its special power to avoid this legal hurdle.