Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Oct 12: The Bombay High Court at Goa on Sunday night ordered the release of six Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) activists detained during a protest at Azad Maidan in Panaji against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The order came after a special late-night hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of the detainees. A Division Bench comprising Justices Valmiki Menezes and Amit Jamsandekar directed the police to release the protesters following arguments by senior advocate Norma Alvares.
The detainees were released from Panaji police station at around 9.40 pm after being transported by bus from Pernem police station, where they had been taken following their detention.
The court is scheduled to hear the matter further at noon on Monday to examine the circumstances surrounding the detentions and the decision to transport the protesters from Panaji to Pernem.
The protest was organised by CJP Goa as part of a nationwide agitation demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise. The party had sought permission to hold a public gathering at Azad Maidan on October 11, but the administration denied permission following a negative report from the North Goa Superintendent of Police.
Despite the denial, activists and supporters arrived at the venue on Sunday. Heavy police deployment and barricades were put in place around Azad Maidan, with personnel stopping protesters from entering the grounds.
Amid confrontations, some protesters managed to enter the venue, following which six activists were detained. Those detained included CCP Corporation member Jack Sukhija and CJP Goa volunteers Amreen Shaikh, Aditya Parulekar, Bhupesh Bind, Liston Noronha, Shamiro Fernandes and Milind Rane.
The protesters alleged that their mobile phones were confiscated during detention. The issue of the phones and the circumstances surrounding the arrests also came up during the court proceedings.
With access to Azad Maidan blocked, demonstrators gathered on the city's busy M G Road, disrupting traffic for nearly an hour. They later regrouped and marched to the nearby Municipal Garden, also known as Garcia de Orta Garden, where they continued their protest.
Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Ferdino Rebello, arrived at the venue and questioned the legal basis for denying permission for the demonstration. He criticised the restrictions imposed on the protesters and expressed solidarity with the youth-led agitation.
Justice Rebello argued that citizens had a right to peaceful assembly and expression and questioned why protesters were prevented from gathering at Azad Maidan. His 'Enough Is Enough' movement supported the agitation, while environmentalist Claude Alvares and his wife, Padma Shri awardee Norma Alvares, also joined the demonstration, calling for electoral accountability and transparency.
During the late-night hearing, the High Court heard submissions from the petitioners' counsel, the public prosecutor and the police. The bench directed the release of the detainees and scheduled a further hearing to examine the legality of the police action.
The court's intervention came amid nationwide protests organised by CJP against Kumar over allegations surrounding the SIR process. The Election Commission has faced criticism from opposition parties and activists over the revision of electoral rolls, while the controversy has triggered demands for greater transparency in the exercise.
The further hearing on Monday is expected to examine the circumstances in which the protesters were detained and shifted to Pernem, as well as the authorities' justification for the action.