SC wants Shaheen Bagh protesters to shift, mediators suggested

The Supreme Court on Monday (February 17) suggested the appointment of interlocutors to talk to protesters at Shaheen Bagh, which has been witnessing protests for the past two months against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Names of senior advocates Sanjay Hedge and Sadhana Ramachandra and former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah were proposed for the same during a hearing of a PIL against the protest, said an NDTV report.

A bench comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph court fixed the matter for further hearing on February 24.

Observing that protest was a fundamental right of citizens, the court, however, said that the protest should not block roads and disrupt the movement of the general public.

The top court asked for an alternative place for protest which should not be a road.

“We are not saying that people don’t have the right to raise their concerns. The question is where to protest? Because if this continues on the roads today for this legislation, tomorrow it could be done for another legislation,” Justice Kaul said.

“You cannot block public roads. There cannot be an indefinite period of protest in such an area. If you want to protest, it has to be in an area identified for protest,” the court said.

The interlocutors, reportedly, will talk to the protests and persuade them to shift their agitation to another venue to avoid causing inconvenience to commuters.