MUMBAI, Oct. 20 -- The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to respond to allegations that police illegally detained protesters, passers-by and other citizens during demonstrations across Mumbai on October 10 and 11 demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged election malpractices. More than 600 people were detained on October 10 and over 300 on October 11, including actors, social activists, senior citizens and students, according to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate and activist Sagar Kantilal Devre. Several detainees alleged that they were harassed by the police. A division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna noted that some individuals had allegedly been picked up from their homes and detained by the Mumbai police despite not having participated in the protests. "These individuals must not have any antecedents. They must be peace loving citizens. If someone has a track record, that would be a separate issue then. Everybody has a right to agitate but that agitation must be peaceful. As far as restraint in Maharashtra is concerned, it is too much. However, if there are instances of unlawful detention, we will obviously take care of it," the bench said. The court was hearing Devre's PIL challenging the alleged illegal detention of people during the anti-CEC protests held at various locations in Mumbai on October 10 and 11. At Monday's hearing, Advocate General Dr Milind Sathe denied illegal detentions at August Kranti Maidan, stating police merely dispersed an unauthorised crowd blocking Nana Chowk without detaining anyone. However, addressing petitioners' allegations that individuals were unlawfully detained simply for passing by or being peacefully present, the court ordered the state government to file a senior officer's affidavit responding to all allegations within ten days. The petitioner, Devre, alleged police detained over 600 people on October 10 and over 300 on October 11 during protests demanding the Chief Election Commissioner's removal across multiple sites, including August Kranti Maidan, Nana Chowk, Hutatma Chowk, and Shivaji Park. Detainees reportedly included peaceful protesters, passers-by, women, a mother with her child, a senior citizen with a pacemaker, and a woman filming the scene, while one young man suffered a panic attack at Tardeo police station. Devre further claimed police raided homes to detain individuals previously named in quashed FIRs from July 2026 NEET-UG exam protests. The PIL seeks declarations that indiscriminate detentions are unconstitutional....