The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (September 2) strongly criticized Maratha leader Manoj Jarange for continuing his hunger strike protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, despite permission restrictions. The court termed the protest "illegal" and directed Jarange and his supporters to vacate the site by 3 PM today.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Aarti Sathe made it clear that if the order is not followed, strict action, including imposing exemplary costs and initiating contempt of court proceedings, would be taken.
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During the hearing, the Acting Chief Justice orally observed:
“These protestors are violators of the permission to protest and thus cannot continue at the site any further. They cannot illegally occupy the site now. They must leave immediately, else we will pass appropriate orders.”
Jarange has been on a hunger strike since August 29, demanding 10% reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education under the OBC category. His supporters stated that he even stopped consuming water from Monday.
The case was heard in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighting the inconvenience faced by citizens due to the large-scale protest. The court noted that nearly 1 lakh people had reached Mumbai to join the agitation, far exceeding the permitted limit of 5,000.
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Senior Advocate Satish Maneshinde, representing Jarange, tendered an apology to the court for the inconvenience caused to the public. He argued that despite repeated intimations to the State government over the past four months, no proper arrangements for drinking water, parking, or facilities were made.
However, the Acting Chief Justice questioned:
“What steps did Jarange take to ensure that there were not more than 5,000 participants? No, we want to know now, what steps you took after you found that more than a lakh people have reached Mumbai.”
Maneshinde assured the court that vehicles had been moved out of Mumbai and shifted to a designated area in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.
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When informed that Jarange had applied for an extension of permission but continued sitting at Azad Maidan, the court remarked:
“Just in anticipation that some order will be passed on your application, you cannot continue to sit there. We make it clear, you will have to leave immediately. This is illegal. After 3 PM today, we will ensure no one sits there. If need be, we will send someone or we will ourselves visit the roads and the site to check.”
The court also directed Advocate General Dr. Birendra Saraf to submit details of the steps taken by the State to ensure smooth functioning of the city and avoid inconvenience to citizens.
The court has now listed the matter for 3 PM today, directing Jarange and other protestors to vacate Azad Maidan without fail.
Case: AMY Foundation v. State of Maharashtra and Ors.
Case No.: Public Interest Litigation (L) No. 25656 of 2025
