The Bombay High Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing on the Maratha reservation agitation till Wednesday, saying it expects some development by then, as protests led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil continued at Azad Maidan.
Jarange Patil, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past five days, remained at the protest site along with thousands of his supporters. His lawyer, advocate Satish Maneshinde, issued an appeal urging demonstrators not to cause traffic disruptions and not to gather in numbers exceeding 5,000.
“Manoj Jarange has issued a statement appealing to his supporters not to create any traffic problems and not to gather in numbers exceeding 5,000,” Maneshinde said.
During the hearing, Attorney General Birender Saraf told the court that the police had followed all necessary procedures and provided a list of violations by the protesters.
He further requested that Jarange Patil and his supporters leave Mumbai completely in view of Ganeshotsav festivities, citing concerns over law and order.
“We have followed all the procedures through the police, and we have provided a list of the violations committed by them. So I request that my learned friend give an undertaking that they will leave Mumbai completely and go out. It will have an impact only if his clients and their supporters leave Mumbai. Ganeshotsav is going on and thousands of people pin roads, and we have to maintain law and order also with police personnel,” Saraf told the bench.
The High Court, however, pulled up the Attorney General, observing that the administration had failed to act in time.
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“You should have come to us on the very first day and stated that the number of people exceeded 5,000. You allowed this situation to reach this point. We will also pass an order against you, as you are in breach of our orders,” the court remarked.
Earlier in the day, a large contingent of Mumbai Police arrived at Azad Maidan to vacate the premises following directives from the High Court to stop the Maratha agitation. DCP Zone 1, Pravin Munde, along with other senior officials, was present at the site. Police issued notices, denied permission for continuation of the protest, and ordered agitators to leave the ground, citing violation of the terms and conditions set by the court and the authorities.
Despite the notice, Jarange Patil remained defiant. “Even if I die, I will not leave the protest site Azad Maidan,” he declared before his supporters.
The hunger strike has now entered its fifth day, with a large number of followers gathered at the site.
Authorities have asked Jarange Patil’s core committee to vacate Azad Maidan immediately, in compliance with the High Court’s directives to clear all streets in Mumbai by Tuesday noon.
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