On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that sit-in protest in public places like Shaheen Bagh is not acceptable for protest. It is worth mentioning that in the Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi, there was a movement against the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizenship) from 15 December 2019. The protesters said that we will not retreat until the government withdraws CAA and NRC. Demonstrations had to be stopped due to lockdown in the country. After six months of peace, the Supreme Courts’ statement has come about this matter.
Supreme Court strict order
During the hearing, the Supreme Court stated that it is not acceptable to use public places like Shaheen Bagh for protests. Delhi Police should have taken action at the same time to remove people from the Shaheen Bagh area. Authorities cannot remain hidden behind the courts, they have to take action themselves.
A bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kaul said that under the law, demonstrations on public places and public roads are not permitted under the authority. The bench was giving its verdict on the plea of advocate Amit Sahni. Amit Sahni accused the Delhi Police and the administration of inaction in diverting a large demonstration on a public road in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area.
Protests lasted for three months
From December 14, anti-CAA protests started in Shaheen Bagh, which lasted for about 3 months. The government did a lot to remove this demonstration but there was no impact on the performance. In Shaheen Bagh, a large number of women had staged a sit-in, causing trouble to other people of Delhi. This widespread demonstration stunned the government’s nostrils. Many celebs were also openly expressing their opposition to this issue.
CAA and NRC Law
The whole commotion began after the passage of the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act). After this, the government was keen to bring the NRC (National Register of Citizen). About a quarter of the population of India is Muslim, and they are afraid that they are being discriminated against. A peaceful protest in Shaheen Bagh started against this law. Apart from Shaheen Bagh, demonstrations were being carried out in many parts of the country.
However, the opinion of the country on this law was divided into 2 parts. For this reason, Delhi witnessed very violent riots, which included the names of many leaders. The government was trying its best to evacuate the Shaheen Bagh somehow. The Corona epidemic easily carried out the government’s intentions.
Corona’s double hit on protesters
The government was not in the mood to listen to the protesters. The risk of infection due to corona from above started looming, due to which the number of demonstrators started decreasing. Keeping in mind the danger from infection of Corona, the government imposed Section 144 in that area. The government’s move also forced the remaining demonstrators to retreat.
Now, when the country is coming out of the fear of Corona, in such a situation, the Supreme Court threw water on their remaining aspirations. Now protesters cannot legally perform at that place as before. Corona had already made a tremendous impact on his spirits. Now about 6 months later, only time will tell how much this statement of the Supreme Court has impacted their rising rivalries.
The Supreme Court’s statement came at a time when the country is coming back due to fear of Corona and it was expected that there would be a protest again in Shaheen Bagh. When the law came, there was a lot of anger in the country, but now the matter is different. It has been almost 9 months since that law. For 6 months people affected by this law stayed far away from all these things and took their time in fear of Corona.
Corona’s havoc is not yet over, and after so many days, he is hardly able to pull their spirit back to perform. Even if there are demonstrations, it is not expected to be as effective as before. The next step of the exhibitors on this issue will be worth watching.