Shaheen Bagh: Supreme Court Hearing On Plea To Clear Protest Site Today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, will continue hearing on the petition to clear the Shaheen Bagh protest site of demonstrators who have been staging a sit-in since December 15 against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The petition sought clearance of the Kalindi Kunj-NOIDA road which had been blocked on account of the Shaheen Bagh protest.

The apex court will examine the outcome of the efforts of senior advocates, Sadhana Ramachandran and Sanjay Hegde, whom it had appointed as mediators in the matter.

The Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors submitted their conclusions in a sealed cover to judges, Sanjay Kaul and KM Joseph. The apex court had suggested shifting of the anti-CAA protest to an alternative site of protest, earmarked for demonstrations.

The Shaheen Bagh protest, being staged mainly large groups of women, has been continuing since December 15. The apex court had observed that while the right to protest is a fundamental right, no protest should cause inconvenience to others.

The Supreme Court is likely to consider the report of the interlocutors while pronouncing its judgement in the matter. One of the mediators former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah observed that school vans and ambulances were allowed to pass and that the police had unnecessarily blocked some roads. The protesters did not seek the blockage of these roads, but only wanted safety. The former CIC in his report also pointed out that the government did not hold any discussions with the protesters so far.