‘Vacate Azad Maidan by… or face action’: Bombay HC sets deadline for Manoj Jarange, Maratha quota protesters
The Bombay high court criticised the Maharashtra government for failing to manage the situation.
The Bombay high court on Tuesday came down heavily on Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange and his supporters, saying they had violated the law by continuing their protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. The court directed the protesters to vacate the ground immediately.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe said the gathering of more than 50,000 people as “completely illegal” and directing that the city be cleared by 3pm to restore normalcy, after observing that the agitation had paralysed daily life and created fear among citizens.
Observing the situation as “very serious,” the bench also pulled up the Maharashtra government, saying that there had been a lapse on its part in handling the protest.
The court said law and order cannot be compromised and asked authorities to take urgent steps to restore normalcy.
Jarange and his supporters have violated the law and hence have no right to occupy Azad Maidan without any permission, the court said.
“This is a very serious situation. We are not satisfied with the state government, too. There seems to be some lapse on part of the government also,” it said.
Senior advocate Satish Maneshinde, appearing for Jarange, tendered an apology for misbehaviour by some of the latter's supporters on the city streets and said the activist has strived from day one to ensure no person is troubled.
He assured the high court that henceforth there shall be no misbehaviour.
The court then asked if Jarange and his supporters had vacated Azad Maidan, where he has been staging an indefinite hunger strike since August 29.
"They (Jarange and his supporters) are violators and hence they have no right at all. They must leave immediately or we will take action. This is completely illegal. After 3 pm, we will not allow anyone there at Azad Maidan," the bench said.
The court pointed out that on Monday, several protestors surrounded the HC, causing obstruction to judges.
"It cannot be that the high court was under siege and a judge had to walk to court," the HC said.
The bench posted the matter for further hearing at 3 pm on Tuesday.
Maneshinde told the court that Jarange has filed a fresh application, seeking permission to continue the protest at Azad Maidan but no order has been passed yet.
The court said the activist and his supporters cannot occupy Azad Maidan illegally in anticipation of an order on his application.
"Ask them to vacate by 3 pm or else we will take all steps as per law. We will impose exemplary costs or we will initiate contempt action. We want complete normalcy by 3 pm, or else we will go out on the streets ourselves," the bench warned.
Maneshinde told the court that Jarange has held several protests in the past, but this time the situation has reached a different stage.
The high court asked the activist and his supporters to take a pragmatic view.
Maneshinde submitted to the bench that Jarange informed the government four months back that he would be holding protests in Mumbai and filed an application seeking permission a month ago, but still no arrangements were made at the Azad Maidan.
The bench then pointed out that permission was only for 5,000 persons at the Azad Maidan, but several thousand protesters had arrived in the city.
"What steps did you (Jarange) take to ensure that more than 5,000 persons do not come. Once you found that more than 50,000 persons have swarmed the city of Mumbai, what steps did you take? Did you ask them to leave Mumbai?" the court asked.
Maneshinde said Jarange appealed to his supporters through the media, and added that after the HC's directive on Monday, the streets have been vacated and all vehicles cleared from the roads.
Jarange has been staging the indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai for five days over his demand for a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the OBC grouping, and has said he would not leave Mumbai till his demands are met by the government.
(With inputs from PTI)
