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Delhi HC condemns dumping of garbage and defacement of public property as part of protest, terms it ‘constitutionally impermissible’
The Delhi High Court has held that protesting against something while dumping garbage on the roads or destroying public property is constitutionally impermissible. While the right to protest is an important constitutional right guaranteed by Article 19, defacement of property does not come within its ambit. This comes after the Court took cognisance of the dumping of garbage outside buildings in Lutyens’ Zone by contractual workers who were protesting for regularisation of jobs and better wages on May 24.
The Bench, comprising of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal Justice S. P. Garg, stated that such acts are not only penal offences but also cause detrimental effects to the environment; while issuing a notice to the chairperson of NDMC for July 16 and directed him to place before it the list of workers who were involved in the protest. While this is not the first time such a method of protest has been resorted to, the HC has taken cognisance and ensured that the people responsible are brought on record. The Court has taken the matter as a suo moto writ petition and held that the newspaper reports be taken as the petition itself; while stressing on the concerns of the larger public interest involved.
