The Madras High Court Bench here on Thursday directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to take stringent legal action against those who organise and participate in flash protests and road blockades on highways, city roads and other public places which had not been earmarked by the police for holding demonstrations.
Justices A. Selvam and N. Authinathan issued the direction while allowing a writ petition filed by Madurai-based advocate T. Ebenezer Charles, who sought a direction to the officials concerned to prohibit protests and agitations on public roads and pathways without obtaining due permission.
Impleading the Chief Secretary, the Director-General of Police as well as Collectors and Superintendents of Police of all 32 districts in the State as respondents to his case, the petitioner had stated that the unauthorised protests and agitations on the roads had caused great inconvenience to the common people
“Sudden road blockade is not the lawful way to protest. They (protesters) even fail to think of proper means for attaining their needs and rights.
“Though the citizens enjoy a Constitutional right to agitate peacefully, it does not mean that they can obstruct roads and create public nuisance,” the petitioner said.
Preventive arrests
In a counter-affidavit filed on behalf of the DGP, an Assistant Inspector General of Police listed out steps taken so far to prevent as well as quell unauthorised protests in public places in the State. He told the court that preventive arrests under Section 151 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were made in as many as 1,834 cases between January and March this year.
It was also brought to the notice of the court that preventive arrests made in the first three months of this year were much higher compared to the arrests made in 1,417 such cases booked under Section 151 (arrest to prevent commission of cognisable offences) of CrPC during the entire calendar year in 2016. The police officials further stated that 1,247 cases were booked under Sections 143, 341 and 188 of the IPC between January and March this year as against 1,506 such cases registered last year.
