New Delhi: The Supreme Court-appointed panel of interlocutors has initiated a second round of talks with Shaheen Bagh protesters as efforts to convince them to move to an alternate location continue.
Senior advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhna Ramachandran urged protesters Tuesday night to “embrace positive solutions” to resolve the deadlock over the protest site, especially in light of the upcoming Holi festival on 10 March.
The interlocutors emphasised that it was up to the protesters to decide on their options.
“We communicated to them that in this second phase, we expected them to discuss possible solutions amongst themselves and then inform us. In this regard, we urged them to understand their role as responsible citizens under the Indian Constitution and find solutions keeping in mind other fellow citizens,” read their statement.
It added, “We said that we interlocutors were not going to impose any decision on them, but rather expected solutions to emerge from their side.”
Hegde and Ramachandran began the first round of talks days before communal riots broke out in the national capital’s Northeast district. Despite spending several hours daily over a week, the advocates didn’t make much headway.
On 25 February, the top courts directed the two to continue the dialogue.
Also read: ‘Won’t move come what may’: Shaheen Bagh interlocutors face resilient protesters
Truce for Holi
Hegde and Ramachandran, who reached Shaheen Bagh around 8 pm Tuesday, were welcomed by the coordinators of the protest, and given a dais to address the crowd.
The advocates urged the protesters take the spirit of Holi into consideration and decide on a “positive solution”.
“With the oncoming festival of Holi, we requested them to embrace positive solutions for the best interest of the country and the Constitution,” said the senior advocates.
They also urged women-led protest to “keep in mind the future of children in Shaheen Bagh and all the other children of our country, for whose better future, we citizens are collectively working”.
The protesters did not react negatively, the statement claimed.
Hegde and Ramachandran also thanked the people for maintaining peace while the city was rocked by communal riots.
Also read: Left and liberals should stop looking for the perfect victim in Delhi riots
Legal process
The top court appointed the interlocutors while hearing two petitions that sought the protest site should be moved as it was causing major traffic inconvenience.
The 24×7 sit-in protest has been going on since mid-December, when the amended citizenship law (CAA) was passed in Parliament. The protesters claim the law is discriminatory and, when coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), will rob many of their India citizenship and leave them stateless.
A bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice K.M. Joseph had on 25 February adjourned the hearing of pleas against the Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protest to after Holi. A day before, on 24 February, the interlocutors had submitted their first report in a sealed cover to the court.
Of the two petitions filed, one is by advocate-activist Amit Sahni, who stated, “No one can be permitted to occupy a public road for any reason whatsoever and that too for an indefinite period to make others suffer for this.”
The other petition was filed by former BJP Delhi MLA Nand Kishore Garg, who is seeking directions to authorities to remove protesters.
Former chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, who was called to assist in the talks, filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the Shaheen Bagh protests were peaceful and the inconvenience caused to commuters was because of “unnecessarily” police barricades — the argument the protesters have been making to counter the pleas.
Also read: Supreme Court can’t care for Shaheen Bagh children more than the parents