‘This is gundagardi’, Uttarakhand High Court pulls up State over activist’s detention ahead of CJP protest
The Uttarakhand High Court criticized the state government for the detention of activist Prabhat Dhyani, labeling the action as 'gundagardi' (hooliganism). The court questioned the legal authority of the state police to prevent a citizen from traveling to Delhi for a protest.
Why it matters
This case highlights the tension between state police powers and the constitutional right to freedom of movement and peaceful protest.
Terming the government’s action as ‘gundagardi’ (hooliganism), the Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) criticised the State over the detention of Uttarakhand Parivartan Party chief Prabhat Dhyani, who was picked up by police while he was travelling to Delhi to participate in the protest called by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) .
Hearing a petition challenging Mr. Dhyani’s detention, a Division Bench of Justices Ravindra Maithani and Siddhartha Sah questioned the legal basis for preventing him from travelling to Delhi to join the protest.
“What lawful direction the activist had allegedly violated...,” the Bench asked.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in