Bombay High Court overturns police externment order

The Bombay High Court has overturned a police order that banished a political activist from Mumbai for one year, ruling that organizing protests or raising slogans against government decisions cannot justify such an extreme measure. In a judgment delivered on Thursday, July 2, Justice Madhav J. Jamdar quashed the externment order against Saeed Ahmad Abdul Wahid Chaudhary, the general secretary of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), stating it violated his fundamental rights to free speech and dignity.

The court set aside the original order issued on December 3, 2025, by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Chembur, as well as an appellate order from March 27, 2026, that had upheld it. The police action was based on several First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against Chaudhary between 2019 and 2024, primarily for organizing protests and demonstrations without permission. The protests were related to various central government decisions, including amendments to the citizenship law, the National Register of Citizens, the Gyanvapi mosque dispute, and issues like fuel prices and alleged corruption.

During the hearing, Justice Jamdar questioned the rationale behind...