Mumbai: The fundamental rights of a citizen to freely travel through the territory of India can’t be “scuttled” on a mere apprehension of a “law-and-order situation”, staging demonstrations, or past FIRs, Justice Bharati Dangre of Bombay high court said on Tuesday. Justice Dangre quashed a magistrate’s order that barred a Nashik man from Niphad from entering the Yeola legislative assembly constituency between Nov 18 and 24.
For the Nov 20 poll, the present MLA Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP is pitted against Uday Sangle from the NCP-SP for the hot contest in Yeola.
Justice Dangre said, “Absolute prohibition on holding meetings or processions altogether would defeat the right guaranteed by the Constitution, and the state can only make regulations in aid of the right of assembly of citizens but cannot absolutely prohibit the activities.”
The entry ban was issued against Prasad Phapale, a Niphad taluka resident, on Nov 13.
The special executive magistrate—a deputy SP, Nashik Rural—invoked Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, which empowers a magistrate to issue orders in “urgent situations” of “potential danger or nuisance”. The order, though, allowed Phapale to vote at his polling booth before 9am. The state said Phapale is a Maratha and on Nov 17 was in a rally supporting activist Jarange Patil, obstructing traffic in violation of the poll code of conduct. Phapale said a Nov 5 showcause notice preceding the order was a “ploy” by the “sitting MLA from Yeola”. He said his right to protest cannot be curbed “by misuse of political power”.
“A bare apprehension without any supporting material will not justify the exercise of the power as it is expected the satisfaction should be based upon relevant material placed before the authority,” Justice Dangre said.