Bombay HC Quashes Protest Externment

The India — Bombay High Court quashed a year-long externment order issued by the India — Greater Mumbai Police against Saeed Ahmad Abdul Wahid Chaudhary, general secretary of the India — Social Democratic Party of India. The court ruled that merely participating in protests and raising slogans against the government, such as 'BJP government murdabad' and 'Amit Shah murdabad', is not sufficient grounds for externment. Justice Madhav Jamdar emphasized that citizens have a fundamental right to protest and agitate against government decisions, and police cannot misuse their powers to banish individuals for expressing dissent. The court found no evidence that Saeed Ahmad Abdul Wahid Chaudhary's protests caused any harm or public disturbance, concluding that the externment order was a malafide use of police powers and violated his fundamental rights under the Constitution of India.