Maharashtra moves to withdraw FIRs over NEET protests | Mumbai News

July 28, 2026 Headlinesnews

2 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jul 28, 2026 07:09 PM IST

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday directed the Home Department to begin the process of withdrawing cases registered against those who participated in the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protests in Maharashtra over the alleged NEET paper leak and the demand for the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Highly placed government sources said Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, had instructed officials to initiate the withdrawal of cases registered against protesters across the state.

The decision fulfils one of the key assurances given to the CJP after it called off its nationwide agitation. Over the past two days, CJP leaders had repeatedly demanded that governments honour their promise to withdraw cases filed against peaceful protesters, warning that they would resume protests if participants continued to face police action.

Government sources, however, clarified that Tuesday’s decision does not automatically close the FIRs.

“Once an FIR is registered, the government cannot suo motu withdraw the case. It can only initiate the process for withdrawal, which has to be completed in accordance with the legal procedure and requires scrutiny as well as court approval,” a senior official said.

The sources said the Home Department would now initiate the statutory process for withdrawing the cases.

Earlier, the Assam and Bihar governments had also announced the withdrawal of cases registered against participants in the CJP protests.

Story continues below this ad

The Maharashtra government’s move comes days after students and other protesters in Mumbai continued to receive police notices despite public assurances that cases would be withdrawn, prompting concern among student groups and legal representatives.

Please follow and like us: