(Image source from: thenewsminute.com)

The Supreme Court said that there can be peaceful protests but the public places cannot be blocked.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that even though peaceful protests are a democratic right, the public spaces cannot be blocked for the same.

The Supreme Court announced this in its verdict given in the Shaheen Bagh protests which happened in the last winter.

Hearing the petition which said that the public had blocked roads in the National capital, the top court said that protests must not cause inconvenience.

The apex court was hearing a bunch of petitions on the protests at the public spaces in the case of the anti-citizenship Amendment act and the National register of Citizens.

The court said that the authorities must act on such protests and must not hide behind the top court.

Here's what the Supreme Court said:

• Whether it is a single person or a group of persons, no public places or gateways must be used to express dissent.
• It is the duty of the authorities to remove any such blockades in the public arenas.
• There should be designated places for the protests to be held in the country.
• Occupation of roads and any such public places which can cause hassle to large number of citizens is not acceptable under law.
• Right to peaceful protest is definitely a constitutional right and it must also be respected.
• However, that does not mean that the irked people occupy the places that come under the public property that can cause large damage to commuters.
• In the recent times, social media can be used to create peaceful protests and can still make the voices heard and also the same social media is helping to create a highly polarized situation as seen in the Shaheen Bagh protests.

Many people have welcomed the decision by the apex court and the Bagh Market dwellers said that the decision by the Supreme Court is desirable as they have faced huge loss during the Shaheen Bagh protests due to lack of business.

Massive protests have taken place in the Sharehn Bagh area of the National Capital during the aftermath of CAA and NRC bills passed by the parliament.

The venue, Shaheen Bagh has become a go-to place to instigate outrages against the unconstitutional laws passed by the government.

By Gayatri Yellayi