FIR against NEET protesters quashed

MADURAI: Madras high court has quashed the FIR registered against people who staged a protest against NEET in front of Andal Temple at Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district in 2017. The court was hearing a petition filed by K Gururaj who sought to quash the FIR registered against him by Srivilliputhur Town police.
The prosecution case was that on September 8, 2017, the petitioner and others assembled before Andal Temple at Srivilliputhur and raised slogans against NEET.Some are even said to have climbed atop the temple tower defying the directives of the police. Following the incident, police registered a case against the petitioner and others.
Justice G R Swaminathan observed that it is not the case of the prosecution that the accused indulged in any act of violence. One can take judicial notice of the fact that during the relevant time, conduct of NEET examination caused considerable public unrest. The death of a student named Anitha made the whole issue highly emotional. Therefore, the conduct of the petitioner can very well be understood.
The judge said that though the FIR was registered way back in 2017, the final report has not been filed yet. Observing that the continuance of the prosecution is clearly not warranted, the judge quashed the FIR not only against the petitioner but in its entirety.