Overview

• The court dismissed CPI(M)’s petition challenging Mumbai Police’s June 17 denial of protest permission at Azad Maidan against the alleged genocide in Gaza.
• Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad ruled that speaking for Gaza is not patriotism and urged the party to address domestic civic concerns instead.
• The bench found that CPI(M) lacked locus standi because the All India Peace and Solidarity Foundation, not the party, filed the original application with police.
• Judges cautioned that protests on sensitive foreign conflicts could provoke diplomatic repercussions and complicate India’s foreign relations.
• The CPI(M) Polit Bureau condemned the observations as ignoring constitutional protest rights and India’s historical support for Palestinian statehood.