Siddaramaiah file photo
Credit: DH photo
Bengaluru: The 'campaign for right to protest' has written to the Karnataka government requesting it to withdraw its order restricting use of public spaces for meetings, rallies, and gatherings across the state.
The group opined that the high court's decision to stay the order was well within the constitutional framework and expressed concerns over Chief Minister’s statement that the government will appeal against this stay order of the high court.
The order was "brought in haste and had the potential to disrupt all public democratic activities," they said.
Instead of introducing such new orders and rules, the letter suggested that the government should implement the existing rules and orders.
“While we share the concern about organisations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) using public grounds to spread hate, vigilantism and militarised ideology, we believe that such actions should be addressed through existing legal provisions; not by curtailing the democratic freedoms of all citizens. For instance, there was already a circular passed by the Jagadish Shettar government prohibiting the use of schools for non-educational purposes. That order was not fully implemented,” the letter noted.
The group also urged the government to convene public consultations with civil society groups, constitutional experts, and citizens before issuing any new regulations "affecting freedom of assembly or expression".