Jammu Court Strikes Down ‘Arbitrary’ Ban on Smart Meter Protests

A Sessions Court in Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir, has quashed a February prohibitory order issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which banned public protests against the installation of smart meters in the district. 

The court found the order lacked the essential legal inquiry and “application of mind,” rendering it arbitrary and unlawful.

Criticizing the executive’s overreach, the principal sessions judge reprimanded the issuing officer for bypassing legal norms and suppressing peaceful dissent.

The ruling emphasized that emergency powers cannot be invoked without just cause and factual basis, reinforcing the fundamental democratic right to protest.

[Waseem Akram Butt vs District Magistrate Kishtwar]