If protests on, traffic shouldn’t be stopped: SC to Centre, UP, Haryana

“It is stated that the petitioner has some problem. The solution lies in the hands of the Union of India and State. If the protests are on, the traffic should not be stopped in any manner, so that to and fro for people is not disturbed,” the SC bench said.

Reiterating that the farmers’ agitation on Delhi borders should not obstruct road traffic, the Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to find a solution.

“It is stated that the petitioner has some problem. The solution lies in the hands of the Union of India and State. If the protests are on, the traffic should not be stopped in any manner, so that to and fro for people is not disturbed,” a bench of Justices S K Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy said while hearing a plea by a Noida-based woman. In her plea, Monicca Agarwaal said she had to often travel to Delhi as she was doing a marketing job but the commute from Noida was taking her two hours instead of the usual 20 minutes due to blockades. She said she had some medical issues too.

In the brief hearing Monday, the court was told that the petitioner was facing some difficulty joining the virtual proceedings following which it adjourned the proceedings to September 20.

Before adjourning, Justice Kaul told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “Why can’t you find the solution? They have a right to protest but inflow and outflow can’t be interrupted.”

“You now have enough time. Please do something,” said the bench.

On April 9, the SC had said “we are not concerned with how you resolve this issue, whether politically, administratively or judicially. But, we have said this before that roads should not be blocked”.

In response to the plea, the UP government in an affidavit told the court that “the police and state authorities have approached the protesters/farmers with the orders passed by” SC and made “tireless efforts to make them understand their grossly illegal act of blocking public roads”. “The efforts of intervention are still in process,” it said.

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