| (The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.) The Supreme Court has ruled that protesters cannot take over public spaces for an indefinite period of time. The court stated this in the context of the Shaheen Bagh protests in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The court did uphold the right to peaceful protest but mitigated it with the observation that it should be in a designated place and should not inconvenience commuters. More importantly, the court chastised the Delhi administration for not taking action and clearing the protest area. The Supreme Court went beyond the issue of public convenience and commented on the nature of the protest itself. The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act was seen as discriminating against the Muslim community; and the Shaheen Bagh protest -- spearheaded by Muslim women -- became a symbol of the community's resistance. The Supreme Court, in its verdict, noted that the movement moved out of the control of the women who started it and into the hands of outsiders, which was a point of concern raised by the detractors of the movement. While the coronavirus-induced lockdown has effectively ended the protest, the court's verdict comes as a post-facto comment on the movement. That, along with the court's observation that the right to protest cannot trample on the right of commuters, is what make this story important. | 
Post a Comment