The Bombay High Court on Monday pulled up activist Manoj Jarange Patil and his supporters for paralysing Mumbai with their Maratha quota agitation.
Jarange, who is demanding a 10% reservation, had declared he would not leave the city until his demand was met. But the agitation brought traffic to a standstill across south Mumbai, including CSMT, Fort, Churchgate, and Mantralaya.
Taking serious note of the disruption, a bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad directed Jarange to vacate all roads by Tuesday noon, allowing no more than 5,000 protesters at the protest site. The court said the city was “practically brought to a standstill” and warned that compliance will be reviewed on Tuesday afternoon.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured that the government will implement the court’s order, while rejecting claims that law and order had collapsed in Mumbai.