The Karnataka government’s decision to restrict the use of public spaces for meetings, rallies, and gatherings has come under criticism by citizen groups for its potential to disrupt all public and democratic activities.
The Government Order (GO) was stayed by the High Court on Tuesday, October 28, which said that prima facie, the GO took away the right conferred on the citizens as mentioned in the Constitution.
The Campaign for the Right to Protest argued that in its bid to restrict the divisive activities of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the government was curtailing the democratic freedoms of all citizens. The Campaign for the Right to Protest is a coalition of democratic and progressive groups and activists.
Expressing their concern about the state government’s decision to appeal the interim stay order, the coalition said the GO (issued on October 18) was brought in haste and “has the potential to disrupt all public, democratic activities. This GO added to the existing restrictions on protests and rallies. The Court’s intervention is thus within the constitutional framework.”
“While we share the concern about organisations such as the RSS using public grounds to spread hate, vigilantism and militarised ideology, we believe that such actions should be addressed through existing legal provisions—not by curtailing the democratic freedoms of all citizens,” the coalition said in a press release.
The contentious order states that to use any government property (road, park, school, water body or any immovable property managed by the government), one has to apply for permission with the relevant authority. The GO also stated that any movement by a group of more than 10 people, other than marriages and funerals, would be considered a rally.
The coalition said that there are already stringent restrictions on protests and rallies.
“There was already a circular passed by the Jagadish Shettar government prohibiting the use of schools for non-educational purposes. In Bengaluru, we already had severe restrictions on protests and rallies. We have the Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) Order, 2021, which seeks to limit any protest, demonstration, and we have the Licensing and Controlling of Assemblies and Processions (Bengaluru City) Order, 2009, to regulate assemblies and marches that are not protests.
“The RSS was allowed to march through Bangalore, whereas no other marches are allowed,” the coalition noted.
They also said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had held an event in Ramagondanahalli
Government School grounds in Mahadevapura on July 13, 2025, to train people to identify “illegal Bangladeshis” and RSS Shakhas were also held in violation of the circular issued by the Jagadish Shettar government.
The activists said that the GO had the potential to cause huge hardships to the activities of workers' unions, Dalit organisations, women's groups and many other civic activities since it placed severe restrictions on fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution, such as freedom of speech and expression, the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, and the right to form associations.
“These rights are the foundation of Indian democracy and may only be subject to reasonable restrictions that are narrowly tailored, necessary, and proportionate to a legitimate aim. A blanket restriction on the use of public spaces fails these constitutional tests,” the release stated.
The coalition also demanded that the government withdraw the GO rather than defend it in ongoing court proceedings and convene public consultations with civil society groups, constitutional experts and citizens before issuing any new regulations affecting freedom of assembly or expression.
They also demanded the withdrawal of the existing Licensing and Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) Order, 2021, confining protests only to Freedom Park.