The minister, in a statement, said it was time to establish that calls for protest should not be taken as a license to damage public property.

“Videos and images of the protests post the apex court’s decision will be scrutinized to identify the perpetrators who caused damage to the public property,” he said.

“The Constitution permits peaceful protests, but under no circumstances no one can be allowed to damage public and private property under the garb of protests,” he added.

During two-day protests, the minister said the property of National Highways Authority was damaged all over the country. “Billions will now have to be spent on repair works. We will identify these miscreants and bring them to justice," he vowed.

He said it was commendable that the protest leadership had distanced itself from those who had created havoc in the garb of protests.