SC to hear Andhra Pradesh's plea against HC order on prohibition of public meetings, rallies on roads

The Andhra Pradesh government has approached the Supreme Court against the high court order suspending the government's prohibition on public meetings and rallies on roads, including national highways.

A counsel mentioned the Andhra Pradesh plea before a bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which agreed to hear the matter on January 19.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on January 12 suspended till January 23 operation of the Government Order (GO) that prohibited the conduct of public meetings and rallies on roads, including national highways.

The state government, in its plea, said recently on December 28, 2022, 8 people died during a stampede in a political roadshow held in Kandakuru, Nellore District.

"The State was thus prompted to issue the GO on January 2, wherein it clarified/emphasised the considerations to be taken by the police while regulating public meetings/demonstrations under Section 30 of the Indian Police Act, 1861," the plea said.

The Andhra Pradesh Police Department was advised to refrain from granting permissions for such public meetings unless adequate and exceptional reasons were provided by the person seeking permission to conduct such a meeting.

"The GO is merely a set of clarificatory guidelines regarding the exercise of power by the police under Section 30 of the Police Act. It does not ban public assembly, either directly or indirectly. Instead, it merely reasonably regulates it. The recent instances of both fatalities and public inconvenience indicate that public safety and interest mandate that such meetings be avoided, unless in exceptional circumstances, and the impugned GO merely advises the police to ideally act accordingly," the plea said.

The high court passed its order on a plea contending the move was intended to stifle the Opposition voices.