The Supreme Court in a special sitting today to hear petitions against the closure of Delhi metro stations due to the CJP protests, has said all the barricades should be removed unless “absolutely warranted.”
Today’s observation came on a contempt petition filed by lawyer Shailendra Mani Tripathi. The petition referred to the Supreme Court’s October 9 order which was passed while hearing a separate matter against the closure of 57 metro stations and cancellation of trains to Delhi amid the planned protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
It said free movement of people should be normalised, subject to regulation in a public order situation. A bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana also said that people have a right to protest but it should be within the Police Act. “You have a right to protest, absolutely no quarrel on that but the process in which you protest has to be within the Police Act,” the Supreme Court said.
