Farmers Movement Archive

SC says protesters cannot block public roads for long

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday reiterated that public roads cannot be blocked for long by protesters and there should be free flow of traffic and impleaded Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments on a petition seeking clearance of roads at Delhi borders blocked by farmers agitating against farm bills. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hemant Gupta made it clear that it was not dealing with the larger issue of farms laws which could be dealt with politically, judicially or administratively but it was concerned about the blocking of roads. The court said there cannot be continuous inconvenience for people for a long time by the agitators by blocking roads and some arrangements had to be made so that people do not suffer. It posted the hearing for April 19. Earlier, the bench had issued notice to the Delhi Police on the plea of a Noida-based woman who alleged that it took her more than two hours to commute due to the road block. She alleged in her petition that she is a single parent and it has become a nightmare to travel to Delhi and sought the court’s intervention. She alleged in her petition that the agitation was being done to defame the government and the country by opposing the laws passed by Parliament. The Supreme Court had last year ruled that the authorities, in future, should not permit Shaheen Bagh-type protests involving blocking of roads and public spaces, and said such expression of dissent should be organised at designated places without causing inconvenience to the public at large. Striking a balance between the democratic right to protest and need to spare people the inconvenience resulting from blockades, the court had said staging protests is a constitutional right and emphasised that an issue being sub judice could not be a deterrent for an agitation on the same.

The Times of India

2021-04-10

Delhi