# Supreme Court weighs legal routes to end student protest cases 2026-08-06T18:27:25+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Supreme Court has allowed States to close or withdraw cases against protesting students in accordance with law, but stopped short of ordering that the FIRs be quashed. The issue arose on August 3 after the Union government said it remained committed to ending the cases but faced legal complications. The Federal explains that closure, withdrawal and quashing are separate procedures controlled by police, prosecutors, lower courts or constitutional courts. A Bihar FIR reportedly names 144 protesters and around 5,000 unidentified people, including at least 50 minors, in an attempt-to-murder case. Closure requires a police report and Magistrate’s decision. Withdrawal needs a prosecutor’s request and court consent. Quashing is a judicial power that can end the proceedings themselves. ## Coverage - thefederal.com Tags: BNSS, criminal law, FIRs, student protests, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-weighs-legal-routes-to-end-student-protest-cases/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-weighs-legal-routes-to-end-student-protest-cases/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.