The Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench quashes an FIR against a man accused of involvement in a protest over poor road conditions in Chandrapur district. In its order dated October 29, Justice M W Chandwani says peaceful civic protests cannot be turned into criminal cases through vague allegations that do not meet the essential ingredients required for offences under penal law.
The case involves Nishkarsh Nimgade, who participated in a protest in Nandgaon village in January after an accident linked to the state of local roads injured several people. Residents demanded action from the Public Works Department and related agencies, and police had booked protesters under allegations including unlawful assembly and wrongful restraint, after some participants tied a rope across the road.
Across outlets, the shared emphasis is on the court’s warning against using criminal prosecutions to suppress democratic rights. Coverage also highlights the court’s reasoning that the prosecution did not record statements from commuters to establish that the road was actually blocked, and that Nimgade’s name emerged only after police removed people. One outlet explicitly mentions the constitutional basis for peaceful assembly.
