NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea flagging disruption of essential services during protests and strikes. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana noted that there was already a case pending before the court concerning venues for protests, rallies, and similar gatherings. “Let this petition be tagged with that matter. But tell us, how can we issue a direction of this nature? We will hear the matter,” the bench said.
The court was hearing the petition that claimed that whenever there is a protest at Jantar Mantar, the essential services are disrupted. “When protests are underway, essential services are disrupted. We do not know who is a protester and who is not. Ingress (coming in) and egress (going out) are completely disturbed,” the counsel for the petitioner said.
The bench noted the submission and said, “We appreciate your concerns but how to issue a direction for that?” The bench then tagged the petition with a separate pending plea which has contended that the Jantar Mantar in Delhi was no longer a suitable venue for protests due to safety and logistical concerns as they cause inconvenience to local residents and disrupt essential services.
The top court on August 3 agreed to examine the separate PIL which seeks an alternative arrangement for holding demonstrations, saying protests at Jantar Mantar create difficulties for local residents.
The plea was filed in the backdrop of the recent student protests that began in June following a call by the online collective Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), demanding the resignation of then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over repeated question paper leaks. Reforms in the exam system were also sought. The protests culminated in a ‘Sansad Chalo’ march towards Parliament on July 20.
The petition has sought directions to designate an alternative venue for such protests. On August 3, the SC had asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to take instructions on the issue.
