undreds of Bengalureans gathered at Freedom Park Sunday to oppose SIR and condemn the detention of activists in the country
The court disposed of the case in Aug 2022, directing authorities to comply with the Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) Order, 2021. Sreenivasa wants govt to withdraw the restrictive order and restore the 2009 licensing framework, under which, he said, organisers could protest at different locations after intimating police. Those detained were subsequently released.
The restrictions go beyond what is necessary to regulate demonstrations, according to advocate and activist Vinay Sreenivasa. He said the court’s final order directed compliance with the police licensing order rather than independently mandating that all protests be held at Freedom Park. At Freedom Park Sunday, citizens and student activists questioned the rationale behind confining protests to a designated venue, arguing that demonstrations must be visible where the issues arise. The debate has intensified after police detained protesters during Saturday’s demonstrations against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The order identifies Freedom Park as the designated protest venue but allows the police commissioner to designate other suitable places depending on the situation. It also requires a licence for protests and marches. He also questioned why demonstrations were being centralised when Bengaluru’s civic administration has been decentralised into five city corporations.
The restrictions stem from a Karnataka high court case initiated in March 2021 over the impact of protests on traffic in the city. In March 2022, the court passed an interim order directing that protests, processions and marches across Bengaluru be confined to Freedom Park, while asking authorities to prevent traffic disruption, particularly during rush hours.