The Supreme Court on Friday expressed hope that “better sense will prevail” amid protests in Delhi against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, stressing the need to balance the right to protest with the livelihoods of small traders and daily-wage earners.
An SC bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the remarks while hearing a plea concerning the proposed gathering by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Central Park in Connaught Place. The court also warned that it could award compensation if restrictions linked to the protests disproportionately affected businesses and livelihoods. “We hope better sense will prevail on everyone. Small shopkeepers, they earn their livelihood during these days. The two were sent to five days of judicial custody for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar after Delhi Police withdrew the venue’s status as a designated protest site.
The top court directed that the matter be listed on October 26 or 27, after its Dussehra vacation.
The court said it hoped protesters, traders and authorities would find a way to accommodate their competing interests. We know the hardship, difficulty and crises entire families face,” the CJI said, referring to the importance of the festive season for small businesses. In its order on Thursday, the Delhi High Court had recorded an assurance from additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma that the police had already taken steps to regulate the CJP’s activities and would take all possible measures under the law.
