Fri Apr 18 16:01:28 UTC 2025: ## Supreme Court Upholds Homebuyers’ Right to Peaceful Protest
**New Delhi, April 18, 2025** – The Supreme Court of India has ruled in favor of homebuyers’ right to peaceful protest against builders, declaring that framing such protests as criminal offenses is an abuse of legal process. The landmark decision stems from a case involving homebuyers of A. Surti Developers who displayed a public banner detailing their grievances.
The builder sued the homebuyers for defamation, but the Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings that sided with the builder. Justice K.V. Viswanathan, writing for the bench, stated that the homebuyers’ protest was peaceful and did not utilize offensive language. The court emphasized that the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental right protected under Article 19 of the Constitution, equivalent to a builder’s right to commercial speech. The court deemed the criminal proceedings against the homebuyers an abuse of process and ordered their dismissal. This ruling sets a significant precedent, protecting the rights of consumers to express their grievances without fear of unwarranted criminal prosecution.
First Piper 