Shaheen Bagh mediators submit report to top court

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court appointed interlocutors senior advocate Sanjay Hegde and advocate Sadhana Ramachandran on Monday submitted their report in Supreme Court about the mediation attempts with Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh protesters to persuade them to shift their demonstrations to an alternative site. The report was placed in sealed cover before the bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph which is hearing a plea seeking lifting of road blockade at Shaheen Bagh.

The court said that it will examine the report but refused to give a copy to the petitioners, stating that the report will not form part of the court record.

The case will now be heard on February 26. Hegde and Ramachandran were appointed by the top court on February 17 to talk to the protesters, who are opposing the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), to convince them to move to a site which does not inconvenience the public. The bench while hearing the plea last week had reaffirmed that though the right to protest is a fundamental right, such protests cannot continue indefinitely on a public road.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Monday stepped up security at Shaheen Bagh protest site after violent clashes broke out in north-east Delhi over the amended law, the police said.

Protests at Shaheen Bagh have continued since December 15 last year, when a small group of women first assembled at the spot to oppose the passage in Parliament’s of CAA. The crowd has grown in size over the last two months, leading to the blockade of an arterial road that passes through the area.

RP Meena, deputy commissioner of police (south-east district), said while the situation was normal and peaceful at Shaheen Bagh on Monday, security was increased to avoid any untoward incident at the spot. “The security was increased in Shaheen Bagh and the neighbouring areas. We are also gathering information from the protests site regularly to make sure that no miscreants enter there,” he said. Protesters in the Shaheen Bagh area could be seen discussing the news of clashes, rioting and arson in Jafrabad and adjoining areas on Monday. On Monday evening, an announcer told the gathering at Shaheen Bagh: “They have a problem with us for blocking the roads. We will not get scared and continue our protest till the CAA is revoked. We are sitting here for a cause.”