February 19, 2020: The Supreme Court sent interlocutors to Shaheen Bagh on the 19th to hold talks with the anti-CAA protestors who have been protesting for the withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) since December 15. The court has mandated a panel of interlocutors to ensure that the protesters allow regular traffic to pass through the Kalindi Kunj road, one of the arterial roads connecting Delhi to Noida.
The interlocutors have been directed to hold talks till February 23, 2020. The three interlocutors are senior advocates of the Supreme Court, Sanjay Hegde and Sadhna Ramakrishnan, and former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah.
Post the events of the first day, both the interlocutors and protesters termed the interaction as a fruitful one. Interlocutor Sadhana Ramachandran praised the protesters’ response and quoted the following in an interview to ‘The Quint’:
“We’ve had a very fruitful meeting with the protesters at Shaheen Bagh . We met a whole lot of very proud Indians who have great confidence in their constitutional institutions. There was a great appreciation of the Supreme Court and its important belief in a democratic dialogue. It is very important for aggrieved parties to be heard is how we saw it, and everyone expressed their confidence as joint Co citizens of this country that together we can find a feasible solution. A mutual appreciation and respect of everyone’s right is the only way forward in a democracy, and we both remain extremely hopeful of a good resolution.”
The first day of the interaction clearly saw the presence of a democratic and non-violent atmosphere in Shaheen Bagh, and the five-day process of this interaction will hopefully provide a good conclusion.