HC Hits Out at 'Colonial Mindset', Quashes FIR on Peaceful Protest

The High Court Emphasised That Gathering for a Cause, Even if it Leads to Temporary Public Obstruction, Does Not Amount to a Crime

- Dinesh Bothra

JODHPUR: The Rajasthan high court has strongly held that peaceful dissent cannot be treated as a crime, stating, "If simply opposing an officer's decision results in the registration of a criminal case, it would reflect a mindset reminiscent of British colonial rule but surely not the spirit of a free, democratic nation governed by the rule of law."

Justice Farjand Ali made this observation while quashing an FIR on Wednesday that had been lodged against more than 50 farmers who had staged a silent protest over the distribution of water from the Jawai Dam. The protest took place in October 2022 near National Highway-62 in Sumerpur, after farmers were aggrieved by the last-minute shifting of a long-established water allocation meeting from the Dam Inspection Bhawan, Sumerpur, to a new location.