Mumbai, Jan 20 (PTI) Protesters “ruined” the city during Manoj Jarange’s hunger strike for Maratha reservation last year and left without clearing the mess, the Bombay High Court has said while hearing a plea seeking permission for another quota protest at Azad Maidan here.
A division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri made the remarks on Monday when a lawyer moved the court seeking permission for one day for a protest by the Dhangar community for reservation.
The petition was filed by Deepak Borhade after police refused to allow the use of the ground.
The HC said a permission is sought for one day, but then the protestors overstay.
“We remember the protests held last year by the Maratha community,” the court said, adding that they sought permission for one day, but did not leave for six days.
The protestors overstayed and “ruined the city”, the bench added.
“We had specifically asked the protestors to clean the areas occupied by them before leaving. But they ran away without cleaning and the civic body had to clean up the mess,” Justice Ghuge said.
The court posted the petition for hearing on January 28.
Borhade had sought permission to organise a peaceful protest on January 21 for Dhangar reservation, but the court, refusing an urgent hearing, said a protest can be held on any day.
Activist Manoj Jarange had launched a hunger strike at Azad Maidan on August 29 last year, seeking reservation for the Marathas.
Thousands of his supporters landed in the city, bringing south Mumbai to a standstill.
Following the high court’s intervention and talks with the Maharashtra government, Jarange on September 3 called off the protest. PTI SP KRK
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