HC refuses to hear plea seeking removal of Shaheen Bagh protesters

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to hear a plea that sought directions to authorities to remove protestors, agitating against the Citizenship Amendment

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to hear a plea that sought directions to authorities to remove protestors, agitating against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh, claiming the blockade is causing snarls at the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyway.

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A bench of chief justice DN Patel and justice C Hari Shankar declined to entertain the handwritten application by Tushar Sehdev and Raman Kalra which had contended that the route, which connects Delhi with Uttar Prash, Uttarakhand, Noida hospitals, Ashram, as well as Badarpur, has been unavailable due to the protest, as roads around Shaheen Bagh are blocked and vehicles are being diverted to the DND flyway. Protesters have occupied a spot on Road 13A since December 16 to protest the amended citizenship law.

The two mentioned the matter before the court along with handwritten applications, which said lakhs of people are suffering because of the road closure, and it is also an issue for people facing emergencies. It also said that lakhs of commuters are facing problems and are forced to avoid the route. It claimed that protestors have put barricades and heavy stones on the sides of the roads and are not allowing even pedestrians to pass.

“The protesters have also damaged road dividers and other public properties installed on the roads which is also causing loss to the government exchequer,” the application read.

It had sought that the protesters be relocated to an authorised area without damaging any properties.