CJP Builds Legal Fortress with Sibal's ₹1 Crore Boost, Warns Government of Resuming Protests if Promises Broken by Tuesday

New Delhi- The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday unveiled a comprehensive legal support framework for protesters, including a nationwide Legal Aid Cell and a dedicated digital platform for documenting police brutality, as senior advocate Kapil Sibal committed ₹1 crore towards the legal defence of students and activists facing state action.

At a press conference addressed by a battery of party leaders and the veteran Supreme Court lawyer, the CJP outlined its strategy to counter what it termed "targeted harassment" of protesters by BJP-led state governments following the recent demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and the Chalo Sansad March on July 20.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, the Bihar government announced the immediate withdrawal of all cases, FIRs, and legal notices against demonstrators and the release of jailed individuals, following widespread protests over exam paper leaks. The state assured that no punitive, retaliatory, or adverse legal actions will be pursued against any of the individuals involved in those protests. Similarly, Assam government, too, announced the release of detained demonstrators and the withdrawal of all police cases linked to the NEET-UG exam protests following negotiations with activist groups

Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das opened the proceedings by revealing that the party leadership had anticipated legal challenges even before the Jantar Mantar sit-in concluded on July 25. "We foresaw that students and peaceful protesters could face detentions, arrests, and criminal cases," Das stated, explaining the party's decision to seek legal guidance from Dr. Kapil Sibal at the earliest.

During these consultations, Sibal advised establishing a robust nationwide legal support structure, creating a network of lawyers across every district in India who could promptly assist CJP protesters facing what the party describes as arbitrary state action.

Addressing the media, Dr. Sibal expressed his wholehearted support for the youth movement and elaborated on his vision for the Legal Aid Cell. "No student or peaceful protester should be left without legal representation when confronted with arbitrary state action," he asserted, announcing his personal corpus contribution of ₹1 crore exclusively for the establishment and functioning of the CJP Legal Aid Cell.

Sibal clarified that the funds would be used solely for providing legal assistance to protesters and left it to the CJP leadership to utilise the corpus most effectively towards that purpose.

Das thanked Sibal for his guidance and "generous contribution towards protecting the constitutional rights of young protesters," announcing that the party would shortly launch a dedicated website inviting lawyers from every district to register as part of this nationwide network.

SAAKSHI Platform Launched for Evidence Gathering

In a significant development, the party unveiled the "Saakshi" Platform on its official website (https://www.cockroachjantaparty.org/saakshi), designed to enable protesters who participated in the July 20 march to securely upload photographs and videos documenting instances of police brutality.

A detailed tutorial explaining the platform's use has been made available, with Das urging all protesters to upload relevant visual evidence relating to police violence during and after the July 20 protest.

Reiterating the party's commitment to accountability, Das declared that every police officer and RAF personnel responsible for unlawful violence, including those who targeted heads, caused grievous injuries, fractured limbs, or used pellet guns would be identified individually, with appropriate complaints filed and legal proceedings initiated.

Spokesperson Ratna Singh provided a detailed status update on ongoing detentions and arrests across several BJP-ruled states, particularly Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam. She assured affected students that the CJP had stood by them from the first day and would continue extending every possible legal and organisational support.

Singh informed reporters that she had been coordinating with lawyers in all affected states to ensure every detained or targeted protester received prompt legal assistance.

Government Given Tuesday Deadline

Addressing the final segment, spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka briefed the media on the third round of discussions between the CJP delegation and BJP National President J.P. Nadda and Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

Ranka recalled that during these talks, the government had agreed that all FIRs and punitive actions against peaceful protesters, not merely in Delhi but across all BJP and NDA-ruled states would be withdrawn, with a written guarantee to be provided by Tuesday, July 28.

"The Cockroach Janata Party called off its month-long protest entirely in good faith on the clear understanding that the Government of India would honour these assurances," Ranka stated, warning that failure to provide the promised written guarantee would compel the party to resume peaceful protests.

The CJP called upon the Government to honour every commitment made during negotiations, giving authorities until Tuesday to fulfil their promises, provide the written guarantee, and immediately ensure that all forms of harassment against peaceful protesters cease across the country.

Hours after the press conference, Saurav Das shared updates through his social media handle. He stated, "Hours after our press conference, Government’s representatives met us. The meeting lasted for 2-3 hours. They shared copies of the Bihar and Assam notifications guaranteeing FIR withdrawals, no action in future, and release of all detainees and arrestees. They’ve reiterated their promise of releasing guarantee-notifications by union government and other BJP/NDA states by tomorrow. Hopefully, the agreed upon language shall be used. No protester will be left alone. We are all in this together!