NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court will hear on Tuesday two petitions linked to restrictions on protests in the capital, including one challenging the alleged closure of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and another alleging that outsiders harassed demonstrators during protests held over the weekend.A lawyer mentioned the matter before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma on Monday, arguing that peaceful demonstrations were being curtailed as the authorities had not designated an alternative venue for protests.The court also agreed to take up on Tuesday a separate petition alleging that outsiders had entered the protest held over the weekend and harassed the protesters.When the counsel sought an urgent hearing on the plea concerning the protest site, the bench said the Supreme Court was already examining the issue.“Tomorrow. The Supreme Court is equally seized of the matter. Not only that, but the Supreme Court has called on the Union to file their affidavits also. Once the Supreme Court is seized of it, we have to see to what extent we can look at it again. That’s why let us have it tomorrow,” the bench responded.The lawyer told the court that the restrictions had significantly affected the right to free speech and expression.“The right to free speech has been quelled to a great extent and that has enormous impact”, the lawyer said.“Now today Jantar Mantar is also closed. There is no other place which has been earmarked by the executive to actually carry out a protest in accordance with law. Peaceful protests are being quelled today. This is absolutely going to be a black day. We have faced this in 1975,” the lawyer said.Hundreds of people took to the streets on October 10 and 11 after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.(With PTI inputs)
