Breaking news: Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran begin talks with Delhi's Shaheen Bagh protesters

New Delhi: In order to persuade anti-CAA protesters to shift their protest from Shaheen Bagh to an alternate venue, the Supreme Court-appointed panel reached the south Delhi site on Wednesday (February 19) to hold talks. The interlocutors include advocates Sanjay Hegde and Sadhana Ramachandran.

Advocate Sanjay Hegde said, “We have come here according to the order of Supreme Court. We hope to speak to everyone. We hope to resolve the matter with everybody's cooperation.” 

Prior to addressing the protestors, Sanjay Hegde read the apex court verdict and the gist of the court direction was related by Sadhana Ramachandran in Hindi. The senior advocate told them about their right to peaceful protest.

Sadhana Ramachandran told them, "Supreme Court has said that you have the right to protest. The law (CAA) has been challenged in the Supreme Court. But like us, others too have their rights, like right to use roads, open their shops."

The interlocutors persuaded media persons that they should evacuate the place so that they begin their talks with the protesters, who were not ready to hold talks before media.

Sadhana Ramachandran said that they would inform the media after their talks with the protesters.

Earlier on Monday, the top court had appointed these senior lawyers to go and talk to protesters at Shaheen Bagh area to convince them to hold the agitation at an alternative site. The court has fixed the matter for further hearing on February 24.

The Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi had lately gained nationwide attention due to a continued anti-CAA sit-in by people, especially Muslim women against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Population Register and National Register of Citizens.

The PIL, filed by Nand Kishore Garg and Amit Sahni through their lawyer Shashank Deo Sudhi earlier last week, sought appropriate directions to the Centre and others for removal of protestors from Shaheen Bagh near Kalindi Kunj.

The plea stated that people in Shaheen Bagh are illegally protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019, by blocking the common and public road connecting Delhi to Noida.