Full Breakdown
Bengaluru Civil Society Calls for End to Freedom Park Protest Ban
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Demand to Lift 2021 Protest Restrictions
On October 26, civil-society groups convened at Gandhi Bhavan and demanded that the Karnataka government revoke the 2021 police order that confines all public demonstrations to Freedom Park. The Campaign for the Right to Protest gave the state until Constitution Day, November 26, to withdraw the order, warning that a city-wide civil disobedience movement will begin on November 28 if the deadline is missed.
Legal Background
The 2021 order replaced a 2009 regulation that allowed protests at multiple venues. Campaign members contend the state’s claim that the restriction stems from a High Court directive is inaccurate; the court merely ordered compliance with the *Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) Order, 2021*. A division bench of the Karnataka High Court issued an interim order on March 3, 2022 directing that protests be held only at Freedom Park and to avoid traffic disruption. The same court disposed of the case on August 1, 2022, leaving the restriction in place.
Groups’ Demands and Planned Action
Advocate Maitreyi Krishnan, president of the All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice, and activist Vinay Sreenivasa urged that all FIRs filed for protests outside Freedom Park be quashed. They submitted memoranda to Home Minister Priyank Kharge and Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh.
Official Statements & Responses
The Karnataka government has not issued a public response to the deadline. Police officials maintain that the restriction aligns with the High Court’s order, a position the campaign disputes.
Verbatim Quote
“In any city of a democratic country, protests take place at a place visible to the public. Bengaluru too must demand that... The hypocrisy of the Congress govt needs to be called out,” — Ramachandra Guha, attended by historian