India's Supreme Court recognises right to peaceful protest

India's Supreme Court recognised citizens' fundamental right to association and peaceful protest on October 9. The observations came as lawyers raised restrictions in Delhi ahead of a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Hindu reported that lawyers drew the court's attention to measures they described as effectively shutting down the capital before the October 10 protest. Reports of the hearing said the judges stressed that the right to association must be exercised in accordance with the law. These observations do not establish that the court lifted restrictions or authorised a particular demonstration.

The protest concerns demands for Kumar's resignation and allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Opposition organisations have made those allegations. They are not findings by the court in this matter.

Cockroach Janta Party co-convener Ashutosh Ranka had earlier alleged that activist Deepak Baliyan was detained in Rajasthan and thousands of volunteers were detained in other states. Those accounts remain claims by the organisers.

Separately, a delegation from the opposition INDIA alliance met President Droupadi Murmu on the evening of October 9 over the election authority's work.