Bhim Army chief moves SC, seeks intervention in Shaheen Bagh matter

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking its intervention on a plea which wanted removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh here, claiming that the petition is "collusive" and the administration has "deliberately blocked" roads connecting Delhi to Noida and Faridabad.

Azad has claimed in his application that the petition pending before the apex court has been filed in "collusion with the central government", which controls the Delhi Police, and it can have a far-reaching impact on the human rights of the people.

He has intervention in the appeal filed by advocate Amit Sahni, who had earlier moved the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the Delhi Police to ensure smooth traffic flow on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch, which was blocked by anti-CAA protesters since December 15 last year.

While dealing with Sahni's plea, the high court had asked the local authorities to deal with the situation keeping in mind law and order.

The apex court had on February 10 said the anti-CAA protestors, who are holding agitation at Shaheen Bagh, cannot block public road and create inconvenience for others.

The top court had said that people are entitled to protest but it has to be done in an area identified for agitations and it cannot be done on a public road or a park.

Azad, along with two others, has filed the intervention application and alleged that alternate roads have been blocked by the administration on the pretext of the Shaheen Bagh protests to deliberately cause traffic jams for commuters in Delhi, Noida and Faridabad and create inconvenience.

"The present petition (of Sahni) has been filed in collusion with the central government...the intervenors apprehend that the real facts will not be placed before this court, and that the court may be misled into passing orders that will be used by the central government as a pretext to commit mass genocide of innocent women and citizens of this country," it said.

"The allegation of road block by protestors is just an excuse and the administration has deliberately blocked various roads on the pretext of Shaheen Bagh demonstrations to deliberately cause inconvenience to the public," the application said.

The petition said the Shaheen Bagh protests are "peaceful" and "iconic" and is being replicated in most of the major cities and states across the country.

"The Shaheen Bagh protests are peaceful protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, as well as discrimination by removing reservation for SC, ST, OBCs and has the support of over 85 per cent of citizens comprising the Muslim minority, SC, ST, OBC and other citizens who do not subscribe to the Manuvadi ideology," the plea said.

Restrictions have been imposed on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch and the Okhla underpass, which were closed on December 15 last year due to the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Besides Sahni, former Delhi MLA Nand Kishore Garg has also filed a petition in the apex court seeking directions to authorities to remove the protestors from Shaheen Bagh.

The apex court is scheduled to hear the pleas of Sahni and Garg on February 17.

In his plea, Garg has sought laying down of comprehensive and exhaustive guidelines relating to outright restrictions for holding protests or agitations leading to obstruction of public place.