New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday (November 4) batted against long-lasting protests at any site, and the Kerala high court said protests, especially in educational institutions, that involve dharna, hunger strikes and satyagraha cannot be aspects of dissent in a democratic country.The developments follow a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by “traders” seeking a two-month ban on protests in the national capital and a petition by a Sanskrit university in Kerala seeking to stop suspended students from appearing in examinations, in the top court and the high court, respectively.A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana was hearing a petition filed by the traders against protests, which raised the ground that they cause loss of business and wages to workers. The bench observed that the right to protest invoked a competing fundamental right – the right to freely practice a trade or profession.Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi was appearing for the traders association, that also demands Rs 1,000 crore in compensation for business losses allegedly incurred due to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the INDIA bloc holding protests in central Delhi. The court asked the association to implead the protest organisers in the case related to damages.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that those who organise protests must be made to pay for them in the form of compensating those who suffered losses, as per a report in the Times of India.Senior Advocates Menaka Guruswamy, Arundhati Katju, N. Hariharan and others argued that the right to protest was covered by right to free speech and right of dissent in a democracy, to which the bench said that the right to conduct a trade or business was also a fundamental right.Also read: ‘Harassed for Supporting Cockroaches’: Police Intimidate Restaurants For Delivering to Jantar MantarCJI Kant said, “We are talking in terms of the source of livelihood of daily wagers, hawkers, rediwalas, sabziwalas – where will they go?” He then said that that a protest site must be identified that does not hamper livelihoods. “One set of protesters cannot occupy a designated protest sit for all time to come,” the Chief Justice of India said.Mehta said, “Calling for a protest without permission and asking people to march to Parliament cannot be permitted.”Around 4,000 police personnel including companies of central forces and other paramilitary forces were deployed ahead of protests called by several outfits on Friday (October 2) at Jantar Mantar to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also announced closure of 11 metro stations in the national capital until further notice. The Metro stations which will be closed include Janpath, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, Seva Teerth, Mandi House, Lok Kalyan Marg, INA, Chawri Bazar, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg and New Delhi. Later, the DMRC announced that the Barakhamba Road entry and exit would remain closed as well.(The Supreme Court Metro Station was also closed during a protest called in July, in order to prevent protesters from reaching the site.)Several outfits approached the Supreme Court against the bans on communication and an internet shutdown and travel restrictions in and around Jantar Mantar in October when students and youth groups as well as political parties had called for protests.Also read: How ‘Flooding the Zone’ Has Been a Tactic in the Delhi Protest CasesThe Delhi police had said on Thursday (October 1) that no permission had been granted to any organisation for protests against the Election Commission at Jantar Mantar that week. Following this, Delhi Police and paramilitary forces put multi-layer barricades on all roads leading to Jantar Mantar, with the entire protest site blocked with barricades from its two primary entry points.After protesters gathered at the site, permission to protest at Jantar Mantar was revoked. On why this was done, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar told the Supreme Court it was in accordance with a 2018 recommendation by a committee set up by the Supreme Court that said protests at Jantar Mantar must be regulated.He referred to Jantar Mantar’s proximity to the new parliament complex – “a vital constitutional institution” –as one reason why Jantar Mantar is no longer acceptable to the government as a protest site.After a bid by CJP activists to enter Jantar Mantar, two of their top leaders were taken into police custody and sent to Tihar Jail. In response, on October 16, the CJP called for a ‘Lehra do Tiranga’ event in Central Delhi, to prevent which CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke and AISA national president Neha Bora were taken into police custody.Also read: ‘Tiranga’ Protest in Photos: Unvanquished, Citizens Unfurl Tricolour in New DelhiThree new protest venues have been announced by the government – Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. The Ramlila Maidan was the site of a recent India Bloc rally in which thousands gathered against the CEC and SIR.§Meanwhile, the Kerala high court’s observations about protests in educational institutions came in light of a 2017 ruling in Dr Antony Thomas v V.M. Muhammed Rafique that had made observations in similar vein. A Division Bench of Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice Muralee Krishna S. said students can be “expelled or rusticated” for participating in such forms of dissent, said a report on Live Law.The bench said that the Antony Thomas ruling had held that “Educational institutions are meant for imparting education and not politics”.“By their political ambition the political parties cannot hold to ransom the educational institution or the right of the civilised students to receive education,” it said, still citing from Antony Thomas.The bench described civil disobedience, non-cooperation and Satyagraha as the “grammar of anarchy” when constitutional avenues were available.The court overturned an interim order dated October 30 by a single-judge bench that had allowed 16 students suspended on September 1 by Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, to appear in an examination. The ruling had been challenged by the university, its syndicate and Vice-Chancellor.The university has constituted an enquiry committee to examine incidents on the campus on August 13. It has also restricted the suspended students’ entry, except to attend the enquiry proceedings.