Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday issued an order restricting all political parties and other organizations from protesting, taking out marches, and rallies in any part of Bengaluru except the Freedom Park in Gandhinagar. The court was objecting to the Congress party's Mekedatu Padayatra in the state and asked the state government to ensure that protest demonstrations do not affect vehicle riders and common people.
The order was given by a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice S.R. Krishnakumar. The bench directed the state government not to permit, with immediate effect, any protest, procession, demonstration, rally, or march by any group, organization, or political party at any place or public road in the city except at the designated place in Freedom Park. The Court had, in 2021, taken suo moto cognizance of the issue of Bengalureans suffering from traffic and other problems due to protests.
The order has been issued to empower jurisdictional police inspectors to initiate legal action for violations under IPC Section 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant) and the Karnataka Police Act, 1963.
Earlier, the Congress party launched the Mekedatu padayatra in Ramanagara on January 9, amid prohibitory orders to contain Covid, demanding construction of a balancing reservoir across the Kaveri river for the drinking water needs of Bengaluru and neighboring districts. The rally was later temporarily suspended due to a spike in Covid cases across the state and resumed again on February 27.
(With agency inputs)
