On Friday, the Indian Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition against the Sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh but deferred the hearing till next week. A bench led by Justice S.K Kaul said that they were not inclined to be party to any sort of pre-election narrative. The petition will be heard on Monday February 10.
The peaceful protest led largely by women has been going on since December 15, 2019 and the chief complaint is that traffic diversions caused due to the protest have caused inconvenience to people. The petition was filed by lawyer Amit Sahni praying the court direct the Delhi Police to take necessary action to to ensure smooth traffic movement on the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch. Sahni’s petition says, “The respondents (Delhi Police) cannot be permitted to behave like mute spectators, particularly in a situation presently faced by persons living in the vicinity of Kalindi Kunj.”
Previously the Delhi High Court had directed the police to look into traffic restrictions in the area. But the bench comprising justice DN Patel and C Hari Shankar had advised the cops to bear in mind the law and order concerns while approaching the matter. The Kalindi Kunj stretch connects Delhi to Faridabad in Haryana and Noida in Uttar Pradesh. In wake of the road blockage due to the protests, commuters have had to take the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) Expressway and Ashram.