SC to lay down guidelines on destruction of properties during agitation

New Delhi: Considering the recent spate of protests heralded by Jat community and Hardik Patel for demands of reservation, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that people can’t destroy public properties and hold everything to ransom for the fulfillment of their demands.

A Bench of Justices J.S. Khehar and C. Nagappan said “We must take a call on the issue and we would frame guidelines for taking action against people for damaging properties in agitation. We cannot allow people to burn nation's properties and take the country to ransom in the name of agitation. Whether it is a political party like BJP, Congress or a common man, they must realize that public properties can't be destroyed in agitation.”

Hardik is facing a series of charges and has been in jail since October last year. He is one of the accused in an FIR filed on July 23, when a rally of Patel community seeking reservation turned violent, resulting in damage to property and assault on some media persons.

The Gujarat police in January filed a chargesheet in a Surat court against 22-year-old Patel describing the quota agitation spearheaded by Patel as a “pre-planned conspiracy” that was hatched to put pressure on the state government for the fulfillment of their “unconstitutional demand."

Attorney General Mukul rohatgi, appearing for Gujarat informed the court that the sessions court in Ahmedabad is hearing the bail plea of Hardik and nothing survives in the present appeal. The bench, however, said it will take up on Thursday issues relating to destruction of public properties during such agitations.