India, March 18 -- The High Court of Bombay at Goa has set aside criminal proceedings against two persons for joining a protest in 2021, ruling that agitations are part of the democratic process and that "it would be a sad day for democracy" if the mindset of launching prosecutions to stifle agitations gains traction.

"Prosecutions must not be launched to stifle agitations that are part of the democratic process so long as people do not take the law into their own hands or indulge in violence or damage to public or private property," the bench of chief justice Alok Arade and justice Mahesh Sonak said in their verdict of March 12.

The bench set aside the first information report (FIR) filed on January 6, 2021, in connection with the prot...