New Delhi: The two interlocutors appointed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday visited Shaheen Bagh to initiate talks with the protesters, asserting that the top court has upheld their right to protest but it “should not affect the rights of other citizens.”
The two interlocutors are advocate Sadhana Ramachandran and senior advocate Sanjay Hegde.
On February 17, a Supreme Court bench of Justices S.K. Kaul and K.M. Joseph, hearing petitions filed by lawyer Amit Sahni and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nand Kishore Garg, who want the road to be opened and the protest to be removed had said that the road block could not continue “indefinitely.” It then appointed a mediation team headed by Hegde.
The protesters tweeted through their official handle that the visit by the interlocutors was “welcome.”
We welcome the SC-appointed interlocutors, and look forward to a mutually beneficial solution to emerge from this dialogue. #ShaheenBaghProtest #SupremeCourtofIndia #roadblockade #shaheenbagh https://t.co/t3b1DiSwwp
— Shaheen Bagh Official (@Shaheenbaghoff1) February 19, 2020
“The Supreme Court has upheld your right to protest. But then other citizens also have their rights and it should also be maintained,” Ramachandran told the large crowd assembled at the spot.
“We want to together find a solution to the problem. We will listen to everyone,” she said in Hindi.
Earlier, Hegde explained the Supreme Court order to the protesters. This was translated into Hindi by Ramachandran.
The protesters have been on a sit-in against the new citizenship law for over two months.
(With PTI inputs)