CJP's Saurav Das calls out FIR against woman who abused PM Modi; calls it 'misuse of criminal machinery'
"The language may be wrong, and it may be objectionable to someone, but that is no reason to invoke the criminal justice machinery against such people," Das said
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On Friday, July 31, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) voiced criticism over the filing of a criminal case against a Noida-based woman who hurled abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the party's recent protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Party spokesperson Saurav Das argued that those who felt aggrieved should have pursued defamation as a civil remedy rather than resorting to criminal law.
_202607311757163800_H@@IGHT_400_W@@IDTH_700.jpg "Ruchika Singh")
The remarks came after a Zero FIR was registered against Ruchika Singh for making "abusive and objectionable" remarks against the Prime Minister during the NEET paper leak protest at Jantar Mantar on July 23. Appealing to young protesters to exercise restraint, Das said people should be mindful of the words they use while expressing dissent but maintained that criminal action was disproportionate. Meanwhile, reiterating his stand in a post on X later on Friday, Das said that the case reflected a misuse of police powers.
The FIR was lodged on July 29 at the Expressway police station in Gautam Buddh Nagar on the complaint of Ghaziabad resident Smriti Singh. According to the complaint, the accused's remarks hurt the dignity of the constitutional office of the Prime Minister and were allegedly intended to incite ill-will, spread hatred and disturb public peace. Based on the complaint, police booked the woman under Sections 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 353(1) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(1) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The case stems from the 'student-led' CJP agitation over the NEET paper leak and examination irregularities at Jantar Mantar, which concluded on July 25 after 36 days of protests, police standoffs and resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The movement ended after the Centre accepted all the key demands of the party.
Commenting on the FIR filed against Ruchika Singh, Das said that even though objectionable or derogatory remarks are not something to be condoned, taking criminal action over such statements risks creating a chilling effect on freedom of speech.
"If any language used was derogatory in nature, then the person concerned is free to pursue civil and criminal defamation proceedings against the individual concerned. However, the use of the criminal justice machinery against protesters is highly condemnable, and no one should be punished merely for using objectionable language," Das said.
"The language may be wrong, and it may be objectionable to someone, but that is no reason to invoke the criminal justice machinery against such people. It creates a chilling effect. I don't think this is acceptable to anybody, especially the younger generation," he added.
VIDEO | Delhi: Reacting to the use of derogatory remarks by CJP protesters, party spokesperson Saurav Das says, "If any language used was derogatory in nature, then the person concerned is free to pursue civil and criminal defamation proceedings against the individual concerned.… pic.twitter.com/N7hWEmXkn4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 30, 2026
The remarks came after a Zero FIR was registered against Ruchika Singh for making "abusive and objectionable" remarks against the Prime Minister during the NEET paper leak protest at Jantar Mantar on July 23. Appealing to young protesters to exercise restraint, Das said people should be mindful of the words they use while expressing dissent but maintained that criminal action was disproportionate. Meanwhile, reiterating his stand in a post on X later on Friday, Das said that the case reflected a misuse of police powers.
"The misuse of criminal machinery against Ruchika Singh is unacceptable. Profanity does not attract a criminal case. 50% of Lok Sabha MPs have criminal cases against them, close to 100 MPs in the BJP. The Police can focus their energy on them, not a 25-year-old! Harassment of the young must STOP immediately!" he wrote.
The FIR was lodged on July 29 at the Expressway police station in Gautam Buddh Nagar on the complaint of Ghaziabad resident Smriti Singh. According to the complaint, the accused's remarks hurt the dignity of the constitutional office of the Prime Minister and were allegedly intended to incite ill-will, spread hatred and disturb public peace. Based on the complaint, police booked the woman under Sections 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 353(1) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(1) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The case stems from the 'student-led' CJP agitation over the NEET paper leak and examination irregularities at Jantar Mantar, which concluded on July 25 after 36 days of protests, police standoffs and resignation of then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The movement ended after the Centre accepted all the key demands of the party.