Jantar Mantar should never have been a protest site, Delhi Police tell Supreme Court
Defending its decision to de-notify the site near Parliament, Delhi Police cited a Home Ministry panel and named Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternatives. Petitioners question the move and the new venues.
Delhi Police have told the Supreme Court that Jantar Mantar, the capital's best-known protest venue a short walk from Parliament, is a public road and should never have been set aside for demonstrations. The stand is part of an affidavit filed by Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar in response to petitions challenging the withdrawal of the site's protest status.
The Commissioner had issued a standing order on October 11 de-notifying Jantar Mantar and naming three replacement grounds: Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi, Burari Ground in north-west Delhi and CBD Ground in east Delhi. The order said a revised procedure for protests at those venues would be issued separately.
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The police case
According to the affidavit, the decision followed a unanimous recommendation of a committee set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and was an administrative call. The police say the stretch hosts more than 1,300 protests a year, while its assessed capacity is about 1,500 people, a limit they say was crossed on July 20 this year.
The affidavit points to the density of sensitive and residential buildings nearby, including 78 foreign missions, 99 central government offices and thousands of housing units, as well as Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where traffic jams could delay ambulances. It argues that protesters do not have a vested right to any one location and that being close to the seat of government matters less in the age of social media.
The police also rejected the petitioners' claim that the de-notification flowed from a Supreme Court order of October 9, calling that reading incorrect.
What the petitioners argue
The applicants rely on an earlier Supreme Court ruling that recognised Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and found Ramlila Maidan unsuitable as a substitute. They question the reasons for the restrictions and say some of the new venues are close to Delhi's landfill sites, raising doubts about whether they are fit for public gatherings.
Why it matters
The order came after weeks of demonstrations against the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. How the court rules will decide whether protests in the capital can still be held within sight of Parliament, or must move to grounds several kilometres away. The date of the next hearing was not immediately clear.
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