Peaceful protesters not traitors or anti-nationals, says Bombay HC
The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court on February 13, 2020, while granting a permission to a few people to sit on an indefinite protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Beed district, said persons holding peaceful protests against a particular law cannot be termed as traitors or anti-nationals only because they want to oppose one law. It will be act of protest and only against the Government for the reason of CAA.
“In such cases, it is the duty of the Government to approach such persons, have talked with them and try to convince them”, the High Court noted. A division bench of Justices TV Nalavade and MG Sewlikar was hearing a petition filed by one Iftekhar Shaikh challenging a January 31, 2020 order passed by Additional District Magistrate (ADM) and a January 21, 2020 order of the Police Inspector, City Police Station, Majalgaon, District Beed refusing them permission to sit on an indefinite protest at Old Idgah Maidan in Majalgaon in Beed district against the CAA.
The court noted, “When we are considering the proceeding like present one, we must keep in mind that we are a democratic republic country and our constitution has given us rule of law and not rule of majority. When such act is made, some people may be of a particular religion like Muslims may feel that it is against their interest and such act needs to be opposed. It is a matter of their perception and belief and the Court cannot go into the merits of that perception or belief”.…
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https://www.sabrangindia.in/article/centre-using-banks-post-offices-caa-nrc-data-collection-mamata-banerjee
