Shaheen Bagh Protest: Lawyer Moves Supreme Court Against Closure Of Kalindi Kunj Road

A petition, seeking directions to the Delhi police to open the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch closed since December 15 in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, was filed in the Supreme Court by an activist on Monday.

The protest at Shaheen Bagh has been going on for the last 35 days leading to the blockage of the Kalindi Kunj road. The petitioner has claimed that the Delhi High Court's order does not seek to achieve the relief sought by the petitioner given that the High Court merely directed the Delhi police to look into the grievances of the people on the issue.

Challenging the same order, the petitioner has approached the Supreme Court. Sahni has prayed for certain specific directions for the removal of the blockage of the protest site, reported Bar & Bench.

On January 14, the Delhi High Court directed the police to look into traffic restrictions on Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch while keeping in mind the larger public interest. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar had asked the police to look into the issue while also keeping in mind that law and order is maintained.

The court passed the order while disposing of a PIL filed by advocate and social activist Amit Sahni seeking a direction to the Delhi Police Commissioner to lift restrictions on Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch and Okhla underpass, which were closed on December 15, 2019 for ongoing protests against CAA and National Register of Citizen (NRC).

It was a temporary measure but has been extended from time to time. The Kalindi Kunj stretch is vital as it connects Delhi, Faridabad (Haryana) and Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and commuters are forced to take the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) Expressway and Ashram, which is causing hours of traffic jams and wastage of time and fuel, the plea said.