The Bombay High Court on Monday issued a strong directive to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and his supporters, ordering them to vacate the streets of Mumbai by noon on Tuesday, September 2. The court stated that the ongoing agitation had brought the entire city to a “standstill” and was “not peaceful,” a situation it described as “grim.”
The court’s intervention came after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed, highlighting the severe disruption caused by the protest, which began on Friday, August 29. Thousands of activists from across Maharashtra, led by Jarange-Patil, have been camping at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Protests Paralyze City Life
According to the court, the protests have violated all conditions of the initial permission granted to the organizers. The court noted that while the main protest site was at Azad Maidan, protesters had spilled out into surrounding areas, paralyzing traffic and inconveniencing citizens. Reports and social media videos presented to the court showed protesters blocking major roads, leading to severe traffic snarls around key areas like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Marine Drive, and Hutatma Chowk.
The High Court observed that the city could not be brought to a halt, especially during the ongoing Ganesh festival. “We are giving Jarange and his supporters an opportunity to rectify the situation immediately and ensure the streets are vacated and cleaned up by Tuesday noon,” the bench stated, emphasizing the need to restore normalcy for the common people of Mumbai. The court has directed the state government to take appropriate legal action to enforce the order and ensure public order is maintained.
In response to the growing pressure, Jarange-Patil, who is on an indefinite hunger strike and announced he would stop drinking water, has been urged by his own lawyers to ensure compliance with the court’s order. The activist has maintained that the agitation would not end until the demands for reservation were met, but he has also repeatedly appealed to his followers to remain peaceful and not cause inconvenience to the public.