Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday questioned the Maharashtra government over violation of its earlier order to restrict protests to Azad Maidan and issued directions to prevent Maratha quota supporters from entering Mumbai.
Justices Ravindra V. Ghuge and Gautam A. Ankhad granted the government two more days to restore order that unruly protests and a large gathering of Maratha quota activists in Mumbai have impacted.
The court issued the directions during a special hearing on a petition by the Amy Foundation on a day when the hunger strike by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil continued for the fourth day.
The petition has raised concerns about the public inconvenience due to overcrowding and a huge buildup of protesters in the city, claiming that the presence of thousands of activists in Mumbai was leading to congestion at major traffic junctions.
The court was shown a video of protestors dancing at a signal, prompting the judges to tell the lawyer representing the Maratha Community: “Do you know, your people have gone out of your control”.
“Can you appeal to the activists not to venture outside Azad Maidan?” the court told the lawyer representing the Maratha Community.
Advocate General Birendra Saraf, representing the state government, told the court that the government was willing to address the situation and it was not running away from its responsibility.
Earlier, a petition was filed in court opposing the permission granted by the police to Jarange-Patil to stage a hunger strike in Mumbai for a day, which was later extended by another day.
On Monday, Jarange-Patil announced that he would stop consuming water until the state government implements Maratha reservation under the OBC category. He has been seeking a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the OBC category.
Since Monday morning, a large number of pro-Maratha reservation activists and Jarange-Patil’s supporters had started arriving at Azad Maidan, causing huge traffic jams on roads connecting south Mumbai from the eastern express highway and Atal Setu.
In the wake of a large gathering, the Mumbai Police in a post on X has issued a traffic advisory saying, “We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to Mumbaikars as their commute towards South Mumbai was affected due to the entry of a large number of people and vehicles into the city for the ongoing agitation. We worked hard and tried our best to minimise the inconvenience.”
Last week, the court suggested to the authorities that the quota agitation’s venue be shifted to the Kharghar area of Navi Mumbai.
The police and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation sources said that all roads leading towards Mumbai CSMT and the municipality will be closed for traffic.
Vehicles coming towards Mumbai via the JJ Flyover will be allowed to proceed via the Mumbai Police Commissionerate and then via Metro Junction or Churchgate Station. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Road near the main entrance of Azad Maidan, which comes from the Metro Junction towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), will also be closed.
(IANS)
