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The Mumbai Police issued a notice to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange and his team, asking them to vacate Azad Maidan at the earliest
Activist Manoj Jarange Patil during his hunger strike demanding Maratha reservation at Azad Maidan; (right) police stop a vehicle as Maratha community members gather outside CSMT, in Mumbai on September 2. (Image: PTI)
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Maharashtra government and Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange after a judge was forced to walk to court as several protesters surrounded the court premises.
“It cannot be that the high court was under siege and a judge had to walk to court,” said a bench of acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe Jarange.
Manoj Jarange is staging an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan from August 29 and has said he will not leave Mumbai till his demands are met by the government. The Mumbai Police issued a notice to Jarange and his team, asking them to vacate Azad Maidan at the earliest even as the high court issued similar directions or face action.
The court warned of action, including exemplary cost and contempt action, if Jarange and his supporters do not vacate the place. The bench said it wants complete normalcy restored and, if not, then they, too, will get on the streets.
The HC said Jarange and his supporters have violated the law and, hence, have no right to occupy Azad Maidan without any permission.
“This is a very serious situation. We are not satisfied with the state government too. There seems to be some lapse on part of the government also,” it said.
Senior advocate Satish Maneshinde, appearing for Jarange, tendered an apology for misbehaviour by some supporters on the city streets and said the activist has strived from day one to ensure no one is troubled.
The court further asked if Jarange and his supporters have vacated Azad Maidan, where he is on an indefinite hunger strike.
“They (Jarange and his supporters) are violators and hence they have no right at all. They must leave immediately or we will take action. This is completely illegal…we will not allow anyone there at Azad Maidan,” the bench said.
Maneshinde told the bench that many protesters have returned home to their villages after the hearing on Monday (September 1).
“Our protesters are protesting peacefully, no damage has been done anywhere. Please adjourn the matter until 11 am tomorrow,” he said, adding that Jarange has issued a statement appealing to his supporters not to create any traffic problems and not to gather in numbers exceeding 5,000.
On his request, the court adjourned the matter till Wednesday (September 3) on the basis of compliance with earlier orders.
“…(Manoj Jarange) may be held responsible for aiding and abetting people coming to Mumbai beyond a certain number of 5,000. Tomorrow, the matter will be taken up at 1 pm. But by this order, we must indicate that this court will pass any order and against anyone to keep the majesty of the law. Any breach of the order passed by this court will not be tolerated,” it said.
On Monday (September 1), the HC said the protest was not peaceful and Jarange and his supporters violated all the conditions imposed on them by the authorities when he was granted permission to hold the protest at Azad Maidan. It said the protest had paralysed Mumbai and brought the city to a standstill, and urged for normalcy to be restored.
The HC gave an opportunity to Jarange and his supporters to rectify the situation and vacate and clean up the streets blocked and occupied by them by Tuesday noon. It directed the state government and police to take steps as per law against Jarange and his supporters for violation of the conditions.
‘YOU LET THIS SITUATION COME TO THIS POINT’
Appearing for the state government, attorney general Birender Saraf said all the procedures through the police have been followed and a list of the violations committed has been provided.
“So I request that my learned friend (Maneshinde) give an undertaking that they will leave Mumbai completely and go out. It will have an impact only if his clients and their supporters leave Mumbai and go out. Ganeshotsav is going on and thousands of people pin roads, and we have to maintain law and order also with police personnel,” Saraf said.
The HC, however, rapped the state government and held it responsible for letting the situation escalate. “You should have come to us on the very second day and have said that the number of people is more than 5,000. You let this situation come to this point. We will pass an order against you also, as you are also in breach of our orders,” the bench observed. “We are adjourning the matter till tomorrow, and we expect that something will come out of it.”
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: DCP Zone 1, Pravin Munde and other Police officials arrive at Azad Maidan to vacate the area. Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil is on a hunger strike here and his supporters are present here as well.Earlier today, Mumbai Police… pic.twitter.com/bxvodGSx9C— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2025
The Mumbai Police arrived at Azad Maidan to vacate the area after it issued a notice to Jarange for violating terms and conditions given by the court and police to hold the protest.
“We are taking action as per the court order. We have come to vacate the area. If anyone obstructs it, action will be taken,” said deputy commissioner of police (zone 1) Pravin Munde.
(With agency inputs)
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
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