Supreme Court To Hear PIL Against Shaheen Bagh Protests Today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Friday, is set to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition against the Shaheen Bagh protest in Delhi. Demonstrators have blocked the main road in the Kalindi Kunj area of Shaheen Bagh in the national capital protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) for 54 days.

The PIL contends that the right to protest is not an absolute right and sought the clearance of the squatters. It further argues that blocking the Delhi-Noida link in the name of protests against CAA is causing inconvenience to lakhs of people.

The petition also submits that constitutional protections have been violated in the name of freedom and protest. According to the PIL, various other arterial roads of Delhi have been facing traffic congestion due the protest.

The Delhi High Court, on January 14, refused to give a specific direction in the matter to the Delhi Police. The HC asked the police to "look into the grievances ventilated by the petitioner" and to bear in mind "the larger public interest as well as the maintenance of law and order."

The Shaheen Bagh protests have also occupied a political hue over the last several weeks. Congress leaders Mani Shanker Aiyyar and Digvijay Singh went to the protest site to express their solidarity with the demonstrators. The BJP has, on several occasions, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress of having a nexus with the Shaheen Bagh protesters.

On Thursday the Enforcement Directorate submitted a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suggesting a link between the radical outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI) and the Shaheen Bagh protests.