Delhi Government Withdraws FIRs Against Peaceful NEET Protesters

The Government of Delhi announced on July 30, 2026, that it will cease all adverse legal action against individuals involved in protests regarding the NEET-UG examination paper leak. The directive, approved by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, includes the withdrawal of 13 First Information Reports (FIRs) and mandates an expedited review for the release of detained protesters.

This decision follows a July 28 Supreme Court ruling in Shailendra Mani Tripathi v Union of India & Ors, which prohibited coercive measures against students and ordered the release of minors and detainees without criminal backgrounds. However, Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood clarified that this relief does not extend to habitual offenders, those with criminal antecedents, or individuals who engaged in violence and vandalism. Delhi Police have used facial recognition technology to identify more than 2,800 participants with criminal records who remain ineligible for the exemption.

The legal relief concludes a period of intense unrest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including a 37-day agitation at Jantar Mantar and a July 20 'Sansad Chalo' march. The march turned violent when protesters attempted to breach security barricades, resulting in injuries to approximately 200 security personnel and over 65 protesters. The unrest eventually led to the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and agreements to provide compensation to aspirants who died by suicide.

Despite the general amnesty, some legal battles continue. Mohammad Junaid, a CJP volunteer and law student, petitioned the Supreme Court alleging he was unlawfully detained and blindfolded by police, while claiming authorities targeted his family in Ghaziabad.