When the Supreme Court Ordered Compensation for Injured Protesters
Aug 15, 2026
Do you need police permission to protest in India? Can you protest anywhere you want? Can the government restrict a protest to a designated site? And how much force can the police legally use to disperse a gathering? India's Constitution protects the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly under Article 19. But that right is not absolute.
From the Himat Lal Shah judgment of 1972, to the Ramlila Maidan incident of 201, the 2018 Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) case concerning Jantar Mantar, and the Shaheen Bagh judgment 2020, the Supreme Court has repeatedly had to balance the right to dissent with public order and the rights of other citizens.
This video explains what these judgments actually say—and where the constitutional limits lie. The right to protest is protected. But is it unlimited? Watch till the end to understand where the line between protest, regulation, public order and State power is drawn.