Bombay HC Orders All Mumbai Streets to Be Vacated by Sept 2 Amid Maratha Quota Protests

The court of law in Bombay on Monday reported that the whole city of Mumbai was brought to a halt during the Maratha quota protests.

The High Court declared that the agitation was not peaceful and that all the conditions were breached and instructed Maratha quota agitator Manoj Jarange-Patil and his followers to clear the streets by September 2, according to PTI.

“We are giving Jarange and his supporters an opportunity to rectify the situation immediately and ensure the streets are vacated and cleaned up by Tuesday noon,” the HC said, while calling the situation “grim”.

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During a special hearing, a bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad indicated that the protestants had prima facie breached the terms, and that they had failed to remain at Azad Maidan, the venue of the agitation and had congested various important locations in south Mumbai.

“We can see how peaceful the protest is. The high court building is surrounded. The entry gates for the judges and lawyers are blocked. The cars of high court judges were blocked today and prevented from coming to court today. The entire city has been blocked,” the HC bench said.

According to PTI, the HC observed that Jarange-Patil and his supporters did not have a legal right to pursue the agitation any further and therefore ordered the Maharashtra government to take the necessary measures, in accordance with the due procedure stipulated by law.

HC questions declare govt, adds Jarange-Patil making clear threat.

Another thing the HC questioned the state government about was why it was not clearing the roads. According to the bench, the Jarange-Patil fast till death was a definite threat too.

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“He has said he will go on a fast till death and will not leave Mumbai till his demands are met. He (Jarange) is giving a clear threat. Why is the state government not getting the roads cleared?” the HC bench questioned, according to PTI.

The court also questioned why the protestors were not occupying Azad Maidan but were moving to other regions, repeating its order on August 27 that the protesters had to sit at Azad Maidan and still obey the law.

This was issued when a mob of protesting Maratha quota demonstrators stormed the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Monday. On camera shots of the station, the protestors danced around on drums in the station. The mob has created a blockage in the flow of traffic and inconvenience to the passengers.

The water resources minister of Maharashtra Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil urged the protestors to remain in the region where the agitation was to be held, “Nobody is denying their right to protest, but it should be at Azad Maidan, not at the railway station. They should also keep in mind that such improper methods of protest are defaming the community as a whole,” the minister, who also sits at the head of the cabinet sub-committee of Maratha reservation, said.

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