The Supreme Court today said that people have a fundamental right to protest against law but the blocking of public roads is a matter of concern and there has to be a balancing factor.

The court was hearing pleas over the roadblocks due to the ongoing protests at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

A bench comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph said, democracy works on expressing views, but there are lines and boundaries for it. It asked Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde and Advocate Sadhana Ramachandran to talk to Shaheen Bagh protesters and persuade them to move to an alternative site where no public place is blocked.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, Shaheen Bagh protesters should not be given a message that every institution is on its knees trying to persuade them on this issue.

The apex court said that if nothing works, they will leave it to the authorities to deal with the situation. The next hearing in this matter has been scheduled for the 24th of February.