Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits assembly of four or more people, enables the state to take preventive measures to deal with imminent threats to public peace. This section is also imposed to clamp down on protests in highly sensitive areas, especially in the area around Parliament when it is in session.
The Section was extensively used in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of the provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to the state.
A bench headed Justice N.V. Ramana noted this power (Section 144) should be used responsibly, only as a measure to preserve law and order, and with a strong reason supporting its implementation.