Mumbai Police issues notice to Manoj Jarange, asks him to vacate Azad Maidan | Mumbai News
MUMBAI: The Mumbai Police on Tuesday issued a notice to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil directing him to vacate Azad Maidan, where he and his supporters have been protesting for the past four days. Police said the notice also sought an explanation from Jarange over multiple violations allegedly committed by his supporters, including traffic disruptions, damage to public property, and unauthorized activities at the protest site.The action comes a day after Bombay high court directed that protesters blocking city roads must clear out by Tuesday noon.The court, after a two-hour special hearing on Monday, had said, “We give an opportunity to Jarange and others to clean up the city and vacate the roads and all such places blocked except the designated place by noon tomorrow. We hope and trust that good counsel will prevail on Jarange and others and they will obey the orders.” The matter was listed before a regular bench on Tuesday for further hearing.The PILs before HC said lakhs of Jarange supporters had brought Mumbai to a standstill, violating citizens’ rights to free movement and livelihood. The protest, which entered its fourth day on Monday, saw 35,000–45,000 people arriving in 650 vehicles.Advocate General Birendra Saraf pointed out that police permission was for only one day, capped at 5,000 participants, and required the premises to be vacated by 6 pm. “There has been flagrant violation of the Rules and the order of the Court,” he told the bench, adding that police had refrained from coercive steps to avoid disturbing Ganpati festival crowds.On August 26, a HC bench of then Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne had already held that Jarange and associates could not stage protests at Azad Maidan without fresh permission under Public Meetings Rules.Meanwhile, advocate Nilesh Tribhuvan’s PIL challenged traffic restrictions on key routes, including the Eastern Freeway, alleging risk to emergency services. Another petitioner, lawyer Gunratan Sadavarte, claimed the agitation was politically motivated to target CM Devendra Fadnavis.The HC directed that protesters at Azad Maidan be provided food, water and medical aid for Jarange, who is on fast-unto-death, but asked his lawyers to ensure agitators beyond the 5,000 limit leave Mumbai. When asked directly if protesters had permission to occupy city streets, Jarange’s lawyer offered no answer.“We, therefore, posed a question as to whether these protesters would clean up the streets, vacate the streets and go back home and let peace and tranquility prevail in Mumbai, so that the common man leads a normal life,” the bench noted.
