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'Protest, but not come on streets and create problems': CJI's remark amid Navi Mumbai airport renaming plea
The CJI's remarks were made during a petition filed to rename the Navi Mumbai International Airport in the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Tuesday stated that while all Indians maintain a right to peaceful protest, young people should not protest on the streets, as he pointedly spoke of demonstrations seeking a specific name for the Navi Mumbai airport.
The CJI-led bench of the Supreme Court also refused to entertain the plea to rename Navi Mumbai International Airport to 'Lokneta D B Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport' and said the issue fell under policymaking, hence the SC could not interfere.
During the hearing, responding to the submission that criminal cases were being filed against youth protesting on this issue, the CJI said the protesting individuals “should not threaten and create law and order problems”.
"Everybody has a right to peaceful and lawful protest... as permissible in law can be done. But not come on the streets and create problems for the common man," said CJI Kant.
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The renaming plea was filed by the Prakashjhot Samajik Sanstha, which calls for a timely decision by the Centre regarding the state government's proposal to rename the airport.
"This will amount to indulging in policy-making," said the bench comprising the CJI and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi.
CJI 'misquote' row
Over the weekend, CJI Kant found himself in the headlines after he allegedly referred to some people as "cockroaches" and "parasites".
In a statement issued on Saturday, the CJI said his remarks had been misquoted and that his intention was to call out individuals who entered professions such as law and media with “fake and bogus degrees”.
“I am pained to read how a section of the media has misquoted my oral observations made during the hearing of a frivolous case yesterday,” the CJI said in a statement issued on Saturday, stressing that he held “immense respect” for the youth of India.
During a hearing on the petition filed by advocate Sanjay Dubey seeking contempt action over the alleged delay by the Delhi High Court in implementing the Supreme Court’s guidelines governing the designation of senior advocates, the Supreme Court bench, led by the CJI, came down hard on growing and unwarranted attacks on the judiciary and legal system.
"There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in the profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists, and they start attacking everyone,” the CJI observed during the hearing of a plea.
