In a significant development, the Supreme Court has said that the protesters at Shaheen Bagh cannot block public roads and create inconvenience for others. Consequently, the top court has also issued notices to the Delhi Police and the Government of Delhi on the pleas to clear the illegal blockade. Several petitioners including former BJP MLA Nand Kishore Garg had approached the Supreme Court to clear the blockade which had thrown the normal life out of gear in large parts of Delhi.
The Supreme court also issued notices to Centre and Delhi government on suo moto cognizance it took after a letter by a Bravery Award winner to stop children and infants’ involvement in demonstration and agitations, in wake of the death of a four-month infant of a Shaheen Bagh protestor. “We have the highest respect for motherhood, highest concern for children and they should not be treated badly”, said CJI Bobde to lawyers who say they are appearing for mothers of children sitting in protest at Shaheen Bagh.
The court said that the protesters cannot block public road indefinitely and any protest cannot continue in a way that it creates problems for general public. The Supreme Courts observation also brings into the question of the extent to which a protest can go.
The Shaheen Bagh protests had angered and inconvenienced a large section of the the Delhi’s population and many had approached the court. The Shaheen Bagh has been blocked illegally by anti-CAA protesters for nearly 2 months. who claim to withhold constitution but the protest has been anything but that claim.
Many anti-India and Hinduphobic statements have been made by speakers and protesters at Shaheen Bagh over the last 2 months. Speakers like Sharjeel Imam had called for cutting-off the Northeast and few wished for a ‘Jinnah-wali Aazadi’. The SC’s observations and notices will be a test for the Shaheen Bagh protesters if they will uphold the constitution as they claim.
