THE RULE OF THE ROAD

Kerala High Court order banning wayside public meeting is quite laudable as it is for safeguarding the right of the citizens guaranteed by the Constitution of India. It is a great relief to the common man whose movements are restricted by road meetings and demonstrations.These meeting are virtually held encroaching the roads curtailing the free movement of the people thereby encroaching on their fundamental rights. But the poor people have no alternative other than suffer silently.

Whether this judgment infringe on the right of the people to assemble? NO. It does not in anyway. Why?

Remember A.G. Gardiner? One of the most popular essayists of 20th century. Most of the people, studied in school might have read his essay “RULE OF THE ROAD” ( from ‘Leaves in the Wind’). He presents a lady who was walking down the middle of a street to the great confusion of the traffic saying

‘I am going to walk where I like. It is my liberty.’

Is it correct? No. She simply forgets the basic thing that she has the liberty but her liberty should not touch anybody else’s liberty.

The situation is similar here. People have right to assemble on way- side but their right should not come in the way of the right of other people to walk freely on the road.

“A reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings of others is the foundation of social conduct”