Goa High Court upholds right to peaceful protest

The High Court of Bombay at Goa has canceled criminal charges against two protesters from 2021. The court stated that protests are a vital part of democracy and warned against using prosecutions to silence voices. The ruling came on March 12. Chief Justice Alok Arade and Justice Mahesh Sonak emphasized that prosecutions should not target peaceful activities. They mentioned that as long as people do not break the law or cause violence, they should be free to protest. The case involved Manoj Parab and Rohan Kalangutkar, members of the Revolutionary Goans Party. They protested against a plan to build an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Valpoi. Their demonstration was held outside a local police station on January 6, 2021. The police had initially filed a report against them, claiming they participated in unlawful assembly and other offenses. However, the judges found no evidence that Parab and Kalangutkar intended to commit a crime. They noted that there were no accusations of weapons or actual harm to property or government staff. The court concluded that the charges were not supported by sufficient facts. It stressed that the right to peaceful assembly must be protected under the Constitution.