Overview

• The court invoked its inherent powers under State of Haryana v. Bhajan Lal to set aside the FIR lodged in March 2019.
• The original FIR under IPC Sections 290, 341 and 171-F and Section 34 of the Police Act alleged traffic obstruction during the Model Code of Conduct period.
• The rally was organised by Mohan Babu, his son Vishnu Vardhan Babu and staff of Sri Vidyaniketan to press for delayed student fee reimbursements.
• Earlier this year, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had refused to quash the proceedings, finding no exceptional grounds to bypass a trial.
• The Supreme Court concluded the demonstration was a peaceful assembly and ordered the criminal case closed against the petitioners.