Overview
- On Monday, July 27, the Cockroach Janata Party announced plans for a website, a lawyers' portal and a legal defence fund with senior advocate Kapil Sibal pledging Rs 1 crore to start the fund.
- The CJP has formally demanded withdrawal of FIRs, release of detained students and a written guarantee of protection by the government and warned it will resume protests if those demands are not met.
- Party lawyers said the legal scheme will represent only protesters who acted peacefully and that the CJP disavows vandalism or hooliganism by others.
- CJP spokespeople said students and volunteers have been arrested, detained or harassed in Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and that the organisation is expanding legal and medical support across states to respond.
- If funded and staffed by volunteer lawyers, the portal and fund would give targeted legal representation to individuals facing trials and could force the government to provide concrete legal remedies such as FIR withdrawals or negotiated written assurances.