India / Public places can't be occupied indefinitely: SC on Shaheen Bagh protest

New Delhi: Public places can't be occupied in an indefinite manner, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said in its judgement on the Shaheen Bagh protests organised in New Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

A bench presided over by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said the blockade of public places and roads to express dissent and causing inconvenience to people is not permissible under the law.

The administration must keep such places free from obstructions and not wait for the orders from the court, it said.

The top court said the protests should be held at designated places, as “Dissent and democracy must go hand in hand."

The Shaheen Bagh protest, predominantly by women and children, started in December 2019 to oppose the CAA-NPR-NRC, was lifted after about 100 days in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

Advocate Amit Sahni and others sought direction to remove the protesters for they caused hardships to lakhs of people travelling between Delhi and Noida.

The Shaheen Bagh, which became a face of protests against the CAA, was replicated in major cities across the country.

The validity of the CAA is pending consideration before the top court.

During the hearing, the court had appointed two interlocutors, senior advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran, to talk to the protesters.