anti-CAA protests

The Supreme Court, dismissing a review petition and sticking to its previous ruling, has said that "the right to protest cannot be anytime and anywhere". Reportedly, 12 activists had filed the petition against the court's 2020 ruling that termed the Shaheen Bagh protest against the CAA as illegal. Moreover, the three-judge bench reiterated that public protests must be held only in "designated areas" and prolonged protests should not affect "… read-more

Uttar Pradesh government has approached the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court's verdict of releasing Dr Kafeel Khan from National Security Act charges. The government said while Kafeel has a record of series of offences, he also gave anti-CAA speech at the Aligarh Muslim University, which had led to his detention. Earlier on September 1, the Allahabad HC released Kafeel stating that his speech had no intention of hate-mongering… read-more

Sharjeel Usmani, a student from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) who was involved in clashes between AMU-students, police, and security forces during the anti-CAA protests, has been booked under the UP Control of Goondas Act. Reportedly, an externment order has been issued against him, banning his stay in Aligarh for six months. Official order has called Sharjeel "a threat for the public". However, Sharjeel said the actions against him are "… read-more

The Supreme Court on October 7 said that though people have a right to protest, they cannot occupy public spaces indefinitely. The court added that the authorities should take action to clear protests from public places. The court was hearing a plea against blockade at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi during CAA-protests. Moreover, it allowed the government authorities to decide the manner in which protestors can be removed from such places.

The Supreme Court on September 21 stated that people's right to protest is not absolute. The bench stated that there should be a balance between the "Right to Protest" and the "Right to Movement" of people. The court further said, "There cannot be a universal policy because situations and facts are different every time." The bench opined this while hearing a case related to the CAA-NPR-NRC protests in January.