Supreme Court Pulls Up Magistrate Over Notice to Student in CJP Protest Case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday strongly questioned a Greater Noida executive magistrate over a notice issued to a second-year student in connection with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

The notice was issued to Gautam Buddha University student Akshat Tripathi on September 4 and was withdrawn the following day. It accused him of spreading anti-government information and encouraging students to join the CJP protest.

Supreme Court Questions Magistrate’s Action

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant questioned how an executive magistrate could issue such a notice after the Supreme Court’s September 1 order had quashed cases arising from the protests and directed that no fresh coercive action be taken against students for participating in them.

The bench indicated that it would seek an explanation from the Gautam Budh Nagar district and executive magistrates. Senior advocate Bishwajit Bhattacharyya brought the student’s case to the court’s attention and described the episode as an ‘experiment with students of India’.

What the Notice Said

The notice reportedly sought a personal bond of ₹5 lakh and two sureties of the same amount, citing allegations that the student had encouraged other students to join the protest. Police later withdrew the notice after an inquiry found the information on which it was based was false.

The Supreme Court’s intervention came days after its September 1 order protecting students involved in the protests from fresh coercive action. The court’s remarks underscore the seriousness with which it views compliance with its orders.