Shaheen Bagh debate deteriorated into something else, says SC; puts off hearing

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Updated: Feb 26, 2020 16:00 IST

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday put off hearing on petitions that wanted people protesting at Shaheen Bagh against the amended citizenship law to be removed and the two-month long road blockade ended. Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph deferred the hearing after oral observations on the violence that has erupted in east Delhi over the last few days, holding that atmosphere isn’t conducive at present to proceed with this case.

The two-judge bench will hear the case on March 23, when the court reopens after the Holi vacation.

“Colours of holi represent the difference in opinion which can co-exist”, Justice SK Kaul remarked.

“The debate (around the Shaheen Bagh blockade) has deteriorated into something else. And this is only an unfortunate example,” the judge observed, a reference to the violence that erupted in one pocket of east Delhi on Sunday and spread rapidly over the next two days.

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By this morning, authorities said 20 people had been killed and over 250 injured.

“It is time for all parties and stakeholders to lower their temperatures,” Justice SK Kaul added.

But the judges made it clear that they confine the hearing to Shaheen Bagh road blockade and not go into the violence in other parts of Delhi. The bench, however, described the violence in east Delhi as “really unfortunate” but “this bench will not go into that”.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta stated that police force should not be demoralised and pointed out that a police officer was nearly lynched. “I request your lordship not not to get into all this”, he said, on references to Delhi violence.

The judges continued, elaborating on what the bench felt had been the problem with the police response to the clashes that started on Sunday and escalated into a full-scale communal riot, Delhi’s worst in at least three decades.