Maratha quota stir: Bombay HC says no protest at Azad Maidan without permission

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday restrained Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and his associates from holding demonstrations at Azad Maidan in Mumbai without prior permission. Noting that “public places cannot be occupied indefinitely”, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep V. Marne observed that while the right to protest is fundamental, it cannot be exercised at the cost of inconvenience to the public.

Mr. Jarange-Patil on Monday gave the State government until Tuesday to grant 10% quota to the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes category, failing which he threatened to march to Mumbai with Maratha supporters and start an indefinite fast on August 29.

Hearing a public interest litigation plea by an NGO, AMY Foundation, challenging the proposed agitation, the court also said that Mumbai Police would be under significant strain during the 10-day Ganpati festival, which will begin on Wednesday.

The BJP on Tuesday requested Mr. Jarange-Patil to join discussions with the Maharashtra government and reconsider his plan.

The quota activist, however, refused to relent even when the Officer on Special Duty at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s Office met him in Antarwali Sarathi in Jalna district in a bid to convince him to delay the protest due to the upcoming festival.

Mr. Jarange-Patil launched a sharp attack on the Chief Minister, accusing him of obstructing Maratha reservations in education and jobs. “Such high-handedness was not seen even during the British rule,” he said.

“No matter how many obstacles are placed by the government, we will leave for Mumbai tomorrow (Wednesday). We are going there peacefully and lawfully. Therefore, the court will give us justice,” Mr. Jarange-Patil added.