Right To Protest Can't Be Asserted And Practised In Vacuum; Social Cause Needed, Not Personal Agenda: Calcutta High Court

"Such right can neither be asserted nor practiced in the vacuum. There has to be a social cause and not a personal agenda," the Calcutta High Court observed recently.The bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar was hearing the plea of one Vineet Ruia, who is the president of an organization known as Bharat Bachao Sangathan who wished to hold protests against the private unaided. There has to be a social cause and not a personal agenda," the Calcutta High Court observed recently. It was further told to the Court that a crowd of 40,000 to 50,000 protestors cannot be handled for 30 days or more by the police authorities, and as such, permission cannot be granted Court's observations Having gone through the writ petition, the Court noted that on the basis of a vague statement that a protest for 30 days or more having an assembly of 200 to 50,000 people would be organised, a writ of mandamus can not be issued upon the police. Moreover, it is well settled that the authority can impose regulatory measures and the police authorities are of the view that Dharmatala, Metro Channel cannot be the location for a protest which would carry on for more than a month, with an expected crowd between 200 to 50,000 persons," the Court further reasoned.