How can you block public road indefinitely: Supreme Court on Shaheen Bagh

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (February 10) while hearing a petition seeking clearing of Delhi's Shaheen Bagh from the protesters, said it will not pass any direction on the matter without hearing the other side. The matter has been posted for next hearing on February 17.

The court also maintained that people are entitled to protest but they have to do so in an area designated for agitation. "There has to be an area for protest and one can't block the entire road or the city," the court said during the hearing. 

The court today also issued notices to Centre, Delhi government and state police on pleas seeking removal of protesters from Shaheen Bagh and sought a reply on the matter within a week.

The Shaheen Bagh had lately gained nationwide attention due to a continued anti-CAA sit-in by people, especially Muslim women against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register and National Register of Citizens.

The Shaheen Bagh had lately gained nationwide attention due to a continued anti-CAA sit-in by people, especially Muslim women against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register and National Register of Citizens.

Anti-CAA protests erupted in various parts of the country, including the Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi, after Parliament gave its nod to the Citizenship Amendment Bill in December last year. 

Earlier on February 7, the apex court had deferred hearing till Monday on pleas seeking directions to the Delhi Police to take action to ensure smooth traffic movement on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch. The road remains blocked due to the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests for over two months now.

The PIL, filed by Dr Nand Kishore Garg and Amit Sahni through their lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi earlier last week, sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others for removal of protesters from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj. It said that people in Shaheen Bagh are illegally protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, by blocking the common and public road connecting Delhi to Noida.

Sahni had submitted before the top court that the Delhi High Court did not order the forthwith removal of traffic restrictions observing that no direction can be issued on the methodology to handle protest and traffic movement successfully, and left it to the discretion of the police. The Delhi HC had asked the police to examine the issue while bearing in mind that law and order are supposed to be maintained.

Another petition was also filed by BJP leader Nand Kishor Garg seeking the apex court's directions for removing anti-CAA protesters from Shaheen Bagh.