SC rules out indefinite occupancy of public places, unacceptable in Shaheen Bagh case

The Supreme Court passed the verdict on Shaheen Bagh case by stating that public places cannot be indefinitely occupied by protestors. The court sought to establish a balance between the right to protest and the right to mobility.

New Delhi: The Supreme court ruled today that public places cannot be occupied indefinitely by people, whether it is in Shaheen Bagh or elsewhere. The court observed that the concerned authorities must ensure that public spaces are free from obstructions and do not wait for the court's order to do so.

The bench comprising of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Hrishikesh Roy pronounced their verdict on a batch of pleas which sought removal of protestors from the Shaheen Bagh site who were agitating against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

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CAA amended the definition of illegal immigrants for Hindu, Sikhs, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian who came to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh without documents. The act excluded Muslims which triggered protests across the nation and gathering of scores of people in Shaheen Bagh, Delhi.

Earlier, when the plea was heard, the court had asked Advocates Sanjay Hedge and Sadhna Ramchandran and bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah to mediate with the protestors. Still, the protests continued. But, after the outbreak of COVID-19, the place was vacant. Thereafter, the court had reserved its judgement on the matter. The court emphasised for the balance between the right to protest and the right to mobility.