Supreme Court protects right to protest, allows stirs at Jantar Mantar
NEW DELHI: Delhi got its “protest” site at Jantar Mantar bac .. NEW DELHI : Delhi got its “protest” site at Jantar Mantar back, with a bonus of Boat Club, with the Supreme Court striking down on Monday a ban on demonstrations at the historic observatory imposed last year by the National Green Tribunal.The court restored the two venues, close to the seat of power in central Delhi, for protesters and said people had a fundamental right to demonstrate peacefully. Their displacement to Ramlila Maidan had proved a non-starter and robbed protests, including sit-ins, of a historic venue like Jantar Mantar.The decision to allow protests at Boat Club is significant as all public demonstrations were banned from the sprawling greens for long since large rallies in the late 1980s and early 1990s were seen to have been too disruptive. Rallies are still out of bounds, but protests will be allowed in accordance with guidelines. Suggesting likely parameters, the court said there cou...