New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed sharp displeasure after learning that a Greater Noida Executive Magistrate had served a show-cause notice on a university student in connection with the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests, even as the top court had earlier quashed related FIRs and barred coercive steps against students.
The development came to light when Senior Advocate Bishwajit Bhattacharyya orally mentioned the matter before a bench led by the Chief Justice of India, according to a LiveLaw report.
Magistrate’s Notice Draws SC Ire
Bhattacharyya told the court that the executive magistrate had issued a notice to Akshat Tripathi, a second-year student at Gautam Buddha University, asking him to explain why he should not be made to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh to ensure the preservation of peace.
The lawyer said the notice had subsequently been withdrawn, according to LiveLaw.
Taking strong exception, the CJI asked, “How could a Magistrate dare to issue notice?” and observed that the Supreme Court had explicitly stated that no coercive action could be taken against students in connection with the CJP protests, the report noted.
Bhattacharyya submitted that the notice stemmed from a Noida Police report and warned that such moves could instil a “fear psychosis” among students, adding that the action could amount to contempt of court, LiveLaw reported.
The CJI told the lawyer to bring the notice on record through a petition and indicated the court would seek an explanation from the authority concerned.
Police Report Cited As Basis
As per the September 4, 2026 notice cited in the report, the Executive Magistrate III, Greater Noida, launched proceedings against Tripathi under BNSS Sections 126 and 135, acting on a police report that claimed he was urging students to take part in a planned CJP protest.
As cited in the notice, the police report accused Tripathi of “spreading and instigating anti-government misleading talks” among university students and of pushing them to join a proposed CJP dharna.
The report further alleged that his activities had stoked tension and could trigger fights, quarrels and a breach of peace and public order, LiveLaw noted.
On that basis, the Executive Magistrate held there were adequate grounds to proceed and asked Tripathi to show cause why he should not be made to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh, with two sureties of Rs 5 lakh each, LiveLaw reported.
