Detaining man on way to protest is gundagardi: HC
The Uttarakhand High Court criticized local police for detaining a political activist who was traveling to join a protest against examination system failures. The court labeled the detention as 'gundagardi' (thuggery) and emphasized that citizens have a constitutional right to movement and peaceful protest.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing tensions between state security measures and the protection of fundamental civil liberties in India.
DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand high court on Tuesday came down hard on police over the detention of Prabhat Dhyani, 62, at Rishikesh railway station while he was travelling to Delhi to join a CJP-led protest, asking whether police were meant to protect people’s constitutional rights or govt’s image.A division bench of Justice Ravindra Maithani and Justice Siddharth Sah heard the matter for the second consecutive day and expressed strong displeasure over the police action. “This amounts to anarchy. We are living under a constitutional regime. Do not harass people in the name of national security or govt’s image,” the court said.Dhyani, president of Uttarakhand Parivartan Party, had announced on social media that he would participate in the protest in support of students agitating against alleged NEET paper leak and examination-system failures.
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