Petition in SC seeks direction to open Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking directions to the police to open Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch, which has been closed since December 15 due to ongoing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The petition said that the public at large is facing huge inconvenience and hardship as the road is blocked since December 15 last year and residents, shopkeepers, children, and patients are facing extreme difficulties.

The petition was filed by advocate Amit Sahni against a Delhi High Court order, in which it had asked Delhi Police to "look into the matter in larger public interest and deal with the issue of maintaining law and order".

"The protestors have been using Loudspeakers, as per reports, thus 'unrestricted holding of public meetings', processions, demonstrations, etc. has caused obstruction to traffic and disturbance of public tranquillity," the petition filed in the Supreme Court said.

It 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".

"The protests at the public road cannot be permitted to continue as the same would set a wrong precedent and the same has inspired Shaheen Bagh style protests in Prayagraj Gaya, Nagpur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow, and Kota," the petition added.

The plea said that the Kalindi Kunj stretch is "quite crucial" as it connects Delhi, Faridabad (Haryana) and Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and commuters who use these roads are "forced to take alternative routes" Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) Expressway and Ashram, which is causing hours of traffic jams and wastage of time and fuel.

Sahni's plea in the High Court had sought directions to Delhi Police Commissioner for withdrawing the closure of Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh Stretch and Okhla underpass, which were closed on December 15 last year for ongoing protests against CAA.

It was a temporary measure but has been extended from time to time.

Protests are going on across the country against and in support of CAA which grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.