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Synopsis

The Supreme Court of India recently emphasised that while the right to protest is a democratic right, it must be exercised with utmost responsibility.

Court made these observations in a habeas corpus petition filed by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who was allegedly illegally detained from the protest site at the Khanauri border.

While disposing of the petition, the bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan asked Dallewal to ensure that the ongoing protest does not obstruct highways or cause inconvenience to the public at large. 

Notably, Dallewal had been illegally detained from the protest site at the Khanauri border, adjoining Delhi. He had planned to agitate and undertake a fast until his demand for a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops was met.

However, he was admitted to a hospital in Ludhiana, after which he approached the Court, alleging that his hospital admission was forced and amounted to detention. 

The farmers have been protesting at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points between Punjab and Haryana, demanding legal guarantees for MSP, among other issues.

In February this year, a plea was filed before the Supreme Court for a direction to the central government to consider farmers' reasonable demands, and free movements of public and transportation vehicles across border of the city of Delhi amid the ongoing farmers' protest in Punjab.

On March 13, Supreme Court had rejected a similar plea against the ongoing farmers protests at Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana. The plea sought removal of blockades by farmers and issuance of guidelines so that it is not repeated.

However, the bench led by Justice Surya Kant pointed out that the issue was already pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and that hearing it before the apex court would serve no purpose.