Mumbai: Prevent disturbance in quota protest, Bombay HC asks govt

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Amid activist Manoj Jarange's hunger strike for reservation for the Maratha community, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra government to ensure that law and order was maintained and the "health" of the protesters too was not harmed.

A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Arun Pednekar was hearing a public interest litigation filed by one Nilesh Shinde regarding the ongoing protests by members of the Maratha community.

Police had lathicharged a gathering at Antarwali Sarati village in Latur district, where Jarange is on hunger strike, on September 1, leading to angry reactions in many parts of the state.

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"The aspirations of people in any democratic polity get expressed in various forms, however, such forms cannot be permitted to assume the character of the same being a cause of any kind of disturbance in the society," the HC said. While protecting the right of every individual or group of persons to express their aspirations, it is also the duty of the state to maintain law and order and peace and tranquility in society at any cost, it said.

"No protest or agitation being carried out for whatever reason can be permitted to assume the character of causing any law and order situation," the court said.

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