The matter reached the Supreme Court of India, which appointed three mediators to initiate conversations with the protesters regarding shifting to a location which wouldn't block a public place.

In response to the batch of petitions filed against the protestors, the Supreme Court of India stated on 7 October 2020 that the "indefinite" occupation of public space for protest or expressing dissent was not acceptable.

One of the Shaheen Bagh protestors, 82-year old Bilkis,[15] was listed in Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2020, BBC's 100 Women and was also named as the 'Women of the Year' in the 2021 edition of The Muslim 500.

[28] Shaheen Bagh is located in Jamia Nagar, South East Delhi, an area with a large population of Muslims from diverse backgrounds; daily labourers to rich businessmen.

These volunteers organized themselves around different tasks: setting up makeshift stages, shelters and bedding; providing food, water, medicine, and access to toilet facilities; installing CCTV cameras and bringing in outside speakers.

[39] On 2 January 2020, some volunteers including Sharjeel Imam withdrew and urged to stop the protest, fearing that its message could be hijacked by political parties with the approach of the Delhi election, which they felt could "tarnish the image of the movement" and raise the risk of violence.

[46] CNN reported that a woman named Bahro Nisa quit her job to continue full-time protest, saying "They tried to stifle the voices of our children [...] as mothers, we decided to stand up".

[62] The barricaded area was visited by numerous politicians such as Indian National Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar[65] and Shashi Tharoor;[66] social activists Chandrashekhar Azad,[67] Umar Khalid[68] and Jigesh Mevani;[57] and celebrities such as Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.

[83][84] Hundreds of paper boats with the words of Hum Dekhenge (We will witness), a poem of resistance, were arranged as a heart and dwarfed by a tank representing state oppression.

[48] On 17 January, a bus stop was converted into a library named after Fatima Sheikh and Savitribai Phule, which provided material on the country's constitution, revolution, racism, fascism, oppression and various social issues.

[66] Many street peddlers came to the site, including balloon vendors and chaatwallas (people cooking chaat from carts), giving the area a "lightness of festivity".

Performers included Shubha Mudgal, T. M. Krishna, Madan Gopal Singh, Prateek Kuhad and Anushka Manchanda,[93][94] and musical groups Advaita, Peter Cat Recording Co. and Rajasthani folk troupe Kutle Khan.

[93][97] Rapper Sumit Roy performed his viral rap music "Poorna Swaraj" (Complete freedom) and poet Amir Aziz recited "Main Inkaar Karta Hoon" (I refuse).

[86] On 21 January 2020, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the top children's-rights body of India, asked authorities to provide counselling for children present at the protests.

[110] Another petition was filed by advocate Amit Sahni "seeking directions to withdraw the closure of Shaheen Bagh stretch" and give Delhi Police the required assistance in addressing the issue.

[48]Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari made a video appeal to the protesters to end the demonstration, noting that the road closure resulted in tens of thousands "completing a 25-minute journey in two-three hours", while stating that the CAA was not against any religion.

[123] On 18 January, another petition was filed on behalf of the Sarita Vihar resident welfare association (RWA) for opening the road, with concerns regarding the upcoming student board exams in February and March.

"[127] Scroll.in reported that the effect on traffic congestion was not merely due to the closure of GD Birla Marg where the protest site was, but also because two other connecting routes had been barricaded by Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (UP) police.

[130] Delhi Police called these restrictions "a security measure" explaining that as the main carriageways were blocked, the smaller connecting roads would not be able to handle the additional traffic, hence barricading them too became a compulsion.

[132] The plea sought removal of the demonstration, citing that no one can be allowed to occupy a public road for a peaceful protest for an indefinite period such that others face inconvenience.

[171] On 11 January, an all-women sit-in protest started outside Konark Mall in Kondhwa, Pune, organized by Kul Jamaat-e-Tanzeem, an umbrella body of several organisations.

The venue had banners with slogans such as "Tumhari Lathi Se Tej Hamari Awaaz Hai" (English: Our voice is louder than your batons) and "India Needs Education, Jobs, Not CAA, NRC, NPR".

[178][179] Similar protests were held at Kanpur's Chaman Ganj, Gaya's Shanti Bagh,[13][180] Kota's Eidgah ground,[181] Lucknow's Clock Tower[182] and Fraser Town in Bangalore.

[187][188] Protests were also held in Bilal Bagh, Bangalore, Karnataka;[189] Nagpada, Mumbai, Maharashtra;[190][191] Anaj Mandi, Malerkotla, Punjab;[192] Haj House, Ranchi, Jharkhand;[193][194][195] Idgah ground, Deoband, Uttar Pradesh;[196] Old Washermanpet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu;[197][198] and Jaffrabad, Delhi.

[201] In relation to the Shaheen Bagh and CAA protests, Prime Minister Modi of the ruling BJP said on 3 February 2020,[202] The people of Delhi are quiet and they are angry watching this vote bank politics [...] If the strength of those plotting a conspiracy increases, then another road or lane will be blocked.

On 27 January, during an election rally, Shah asked Kejriwal whether "he is with the people of Shaheen Bagh or not" as some AAP party members had publicly sided with the protesters.

[210][211] In Okhla, the constituency of Delhi in which the Shaheen Bagh protest was occurring, voters reelected its Muslim leader and AAP candidate Amanatullah Khan with a clear majority of 66% of the total votes.

[245] She went on to be listed as the 'Woman of the Year' in the 2021 edition of The Muslim 500— "Starting a simple Gandhian sit-in protest on a road in her locality of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, she managed to bring the world’s attention to the latest signpost in India’s slide into Hindutva, 'majoritarianism', 'Hindu nationalism' or 'fascism, Hindu style'.

[249][250] On 30 December, the Hindu fundamentalist shooter, who was temporarily detained for firing at the Shaheen Bagh protest site, officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

[254][255] The Supreme Court stated on a batch of petitions against Shaheen Bagh that "indefinite" occupation of public space for protest or expressing dissent was not acceptable.