New Delhi: Charging the Narendra Modi government with “trying to betray the youth” by hesitating to fulfill its promise against prosecuting participants of the recent protests, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said it may initiate “nationwide action” if the administration does not act within two days.CJP spokesperson Saurav Das also called on the Supreme Court to appoint upright individuals to the high-powered committee it has proposed to constitute to look into various aspects of the protests, including the police action against protesters during their march to parliament on July 20.While hearing a batch of petitions pertaining to the protests, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 18) said it was willing to exercise its exceptional powers under Article 142 of the Constitution and quash cases against protesters.“We will quash these FIRs by invoking Article 142. FIRs involving elements with serious criminal antecedents would be decided subject to discussion in court,” The Hindu quoted Chief Justice Surya Kant as saying on Tuesday. Article 142 allows the apex court to pass any orders necessary to deliver complete justice in matters it is seized with.“But unless we have a list of these FIRs, how will we quash them?” Justice Kant asked per the newspaper after advocate Vrinda Grover said the Delhi police have yet to share the details of FIRs they have lodged against protesters. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta said the police had identified 2,873 individuals with a “serious criminal background” whom they would like to investigate.Das alleged in a statement that the Modi government, to which the Delhi police reports, “did not commit to furnishing” a list of FIRs against protesters “and instead actively resisted it”.Doing so would have allowed the Union government, as well as its BJP and NDA-led counterparts elsewhere in India, to end cases against protesters “but the government of India is resisting”, said Das.When then-Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned on July 25 – days after thousands of protesters marched towards parliament to demand that he step down for the NEET-UG and CBSE fiascos – the Modi government had said that it and other NDA-run governments will withdraw their FIRs against agitators.The CJP has “given the government sufficient opportunity to honour its commitments in good faith,” said Das. If these cases are not withdrawn, the pressure group will convene a meeting of its ‘national working committee’ within two days’ time to “decide the next course of nationwide action”.He continued: “We hope the government understands the seriousness of this moment. Do not mistake restraint for surrender.”‘Will not accept dubious appointments to high-powered panel’Also on Tuesday, the apex court said it will constitute a high-powered committee to examine various issues pertaining to the protests, including allegations that security forces sexually assaulted female protesters during the march to parliament.Chief Justice Kant, who led a bench also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, indicated they will form a three-member committee comprising a retired Supreme Court judge, a retired high court chief justice and a retired director general of police (DGP)-ranked officer to look into these issues.They have already obtained consent from a former CBI director-general as well as a former DGP for a state unrelated to the march to parliament to join the high-powered committee, Justice Kant said per media reports. He added that the bench will pass orders on the committee on Wednesday.Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Das asked that the top court appoint upright individuals with ‘unimpeachable integrity’ to the committee. “If people against whom serious questions have already been raised are appointed, we will not accept it,” he told PTI.