SC to hear plea on disruption of essential services during protest

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea which raised the issue of disruption of essential services during protests.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was told by the counsel appearing for the petitioner that essential services were disrupted when protests were underway and ingress and egress was disturbed. The counsel said there is no way of knowing who is a protestor and who is not and the issue of disruption of essential services during protests is arising across the country.

“We appreciate your concerns but how to issue a direction for that,” the bench told the counsel. The apex court tagged the petition with a separate pending plea which has contended that the Jantar Mantar in Delhi was no longer a suitable venue for protests as they cause inconvenience to local residents and disrupt essential services.

The top court on August 3 agreed to examine the separate PIL, which seeks an alternative arrangement for holding demonstrations, saying protests at Jantar Mantar create difficulties for local residents and disrupts the supply of essential goods and medical services.