Guwahati, Oct. 12 -- Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Monday said every lawyer has the right to participate in peaceful protests at designated locations while hearing a request concerning the alleged detention of lawyers and police excesses during demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan raised the issue before a bench led by the CJI, alleging that lawyers had faced police action during the protests. He also pointed out that no order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) was available in the public domain.

Sankaranarayanan urged the court to ask the police to exercise restraint, alleging that ...