‘No law bars eating chicken over Ganga’: SC judge slams arrest of Muslim students over biryani on boat ride

Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan stated there is no law barring eating chicken over the Ganga, criticizing the arrest of Muslim students for consuming chicken biryani during iftar on a boat ride in Uttar Pradesh.

The Varanasi Police arrested 14 Muslim youths in March under BNS sections 298 and 299, Water Pollution Control Act, and other charges for allegedly discarding chicken bones into the Ganga.

Justice Bhuyan noted the students spent three months in jail for an act that is not an offence, highlighting the criminalization of ordinary activities.

He said peaceful protest is central to democracy but dissent is increasingly treated as criminal, citing arrests of environmental activists and students protesting on campuses.