SC to hear on Monday PILs seeking guidelines for protests causing obstruction to public places

The Supreme Court has said that it would take up on Monday the two public interest litigations (PIL) seeking directions to the Central government for laying down guidelines relating to restrictions for holding protests leading to obstruction to public places.

A two-judge Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and also comprising Justice KM Joseph on Friday said that they will take up the matter on February 10.

"We do understand that there is a problem," the apex court said after advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi said that this court should pass appropriate directions to the concerned authorities as far as the protestors in Shaheen Bagh is concerned.

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

Sudhi had, on Monday, mentioned the matter before a three-judge Bench of the top court headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde, who asked him to approach the registry for urgent listing of the matter.

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.

It said 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.