Jantar Mantar
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday, October 15, issued notice to the Delhi Police based on a writ petition challenging an order denotifying Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site while assigning three alternate venues.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymaya Bagchi has been hearing pleas related to the ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Delhi Police crackdown on protesters and the closure of Metro stations.
The bench orally observed that the apex court will examine whether Delhi Police had “applied its mind” when issuing the order to denotify Jantar Mantar as a protest site.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan sought the restoration of the site’s notification, highlighting that the authorities previously removed its official status, citing that they were following Supreme Court orders.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the Supreme Court’s earlier directive was not the basis of the denotification. A committee has been constituted, which then submitted a report, Mehta said, adding that reasons for the decision were recorded.
Advocate Mukta Gupta contended that a designated protest venue must allow demonstrators a platform to effectively voice their grievances. Justice Bagchi noted that the matter should be evaluated through the lens of technology. Addressing the argument against shifting Jantar Mantar due to its proximity to government buildings, the top court said it would ask the Centre to respond.
Advocate Swaty Singh had filed the petition challenging the relocation of protests to distant and outlying spaces, which she said renders protesters’ right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression futile.
“The right to protest is not merely a right to assemble at a designated physical space; it is a right to communicate grievances, express dissent and draw the attention of the public authorities and society at large towards matters requiring redressal,” the petition read. “The location of a protest is, therefore, not an inconsequential administrative consideration.”
The advocate stressed that the venue’s proximity to the “concerned institutions, accessibility to the public and visibility to the intended audience may directly affect its effectiveness.”
“A notification which withdraws an existing venue can’t be regarded as preserving the right to protest merely because alternative locations have been identified, particularly when the detailed arrangements governing the access to those locations are left to a subsequent SOP,” the petition added.
The Delhi Police on Monday, October 12, denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site hours after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had given authorities a 24-hour deadline, seeking a date for peaceful protests in the area. The order triggered another wave of protests amid the ongoing demonstrations against the CEC, with CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka jailed for attempting to enter the site.
This post was last modified on October 15, 2026 3:05 pm