The Supreme Court on Friday said that it will hear pleas seeking removal of anti-citizenship law protestors from Shaheen Bagh in Delhi on February 10 after the Delhi polls to be held on February 8.
Abench of justices comprising Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph during thehearing said that they will hear the matter on Monday next week.
Thelawyer for the petitioner, Advocate Amit Sahni while coming for hearing todaypointed out that election to Delhi will be over by then. The bench said, "Exactlywhy we are saying we will hear it on Monday" although the bench deferred thehearing, it acknowledged that there is a problem.
Theplea says that the road closure at Shaheen Bagh causes great inconvenience tothe public at large. The road closure and the consequent traffic diversion haveled to the wastage of precious time, energy and fuel, besides overburdening theDND, Akshardham and Ashram routes.
The petitioner argued that the Kalindi Kunj road is a vital route since it connects three states- Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana and the road closure has led to huge difficulties not only for the residents of the area but lakhs of commuters who are not able to use the road due to the blockade.
Thepetitioner stated that while people have the right to protest, the same issubject to reasonable restrictions and protesters cannot be allowed to occupypublic roads indefinitely.
The petition said that no one can be permitted to occupy the public road for any reason whatsoever under the pretext of peaceful protest and that too for an indefinite period to make others suffer for the same…the fundamental right of the protesters does not exist in isolation in a watertight compartment. One fundamental right of a person may have to coexist in harmony with the exercise of another fundamental right by others, said the petition.
