LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday dismissed a PIL against the action of Uttar Pradesh government on agitators during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The PIL was dismissed as the petitioner failed to establish any infringement of legal or fundamental right of individuals or group by the government. The bench, comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Rajeev Mishra, passed the order. Rajat Gangwar, a lawyer from Lucknow, had filed the PIL, alleging that the state government wrongly detained a number of protestors who did not indulge in violence.
“When people gather in a group, it is their responsibility to identify a person who is not a member of their group but had intruded and indulged in unlawful activities,” the court observed.
“If those, who became part of a protest march, procession etc, claim that they cannot identify such an individual, it is still their responsibility to ensure peace and tranquility. Else, any action of one or more persons, who are part of such procession, whether with the knowledge of others or not, will make no difference and all who are part of the said procession. will be equally responsible,” said the bench.
The court said the state government is well within its rights to act in a manner that it did.