Sanjay Hedge urges Shaheen Bagh protesters to come up with creative solutions to traffic situation

Supreme Court-appointed mediator Sanjay Hegde on Thursday said he has urged protesters at Shaheen Bagh to come up with creative solutions to the traffic situation.

"We urged protestors to come up with creative solutions to the traffic situation, while simultaneously protecting their right to protest," Hegde said after meeting the protesters today.

"We are happy that Delhi Police has cooperated with our suggestions and the usage of some roads may soon be restored, especially for commuters going towards Faridabad. We will continue to meet the protestors, hopefully in a more organised manner," he said.

The Supreme Court had on Monday appointed senior lawyers Sanjay Hegde and Sadhna Ramachandran and former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah to go and talk to protesters at Shaheen Bagh area to convince them to hold the agitation at an alternative site.The apex court has fixed the matter for further hearing on February 24.

The Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi had lately gained nationwide attention due to a continued anti-CAA sit-in by people, especially Muslim women against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register and National Register of Citizens.

The PIL, filed by Nand Kishore Garg and Amit Sahni through their lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi earlier last week, sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others for removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj.

It stated that people in Shaheen Bagh are illegally protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, by blocking the common and public road connecting Delhi to Noida.

The petition seeks appropriate direction to the respondents, including the Union of India (UOI) for laying down detailed, comprehensive and exhaustive guidelines relating to outright restrictions for holding protest/agitation leading to obstruction of the public place.