Delhi High Court clears CJP protest as Dipke targets Centre over CEC

UPDATE - follow-up to Anti-CEC protest LIVE | Supreme Court issues notices on protest-related petitions, seeks reasons behind prohibitory orders from government: The Delhi High Court on October 15, 2026, refused to stop the Cockroach Janta Party from holding a protest at Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16 at 5 p.m. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma heard a plea from a local vendor and took on record the police assurance to regulate the activity. Meanwhile, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke accused the Centre of protecting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a press conference at the Press Club in New Delhi.

Reactions And Detentions

Mr. Dipke questioned why the Prime Minister was shielding the CEC, alleging that security forces turned Delhi into a border zone and dragged students, opposition members, and former Chief Ministers through the streets. CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were sent to five days of judicial custody for waving the Tricolour at Jantar Mantar. SFI leader Aishe Ghosh also addressed the media, urging citizens to unite to save democracy and criticizing the treatment of the parents of Ankita Bhandari. In Goa, the CJP unit stated it did not support slogans hurting religious beliefs after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant warned of action over an anti-Hindutva slogan raised during an October 11 rally.

Legal Challenges

Actor Imran Khan, a U.S. national and OCI cardholder, will move the Bombay High Court to challenge a notice telling him to leave the country by October 28 after he joined a protest in solidarity with the Delhi agitation. His advocate Zulfikar Memon from MZM Legal will file the petition. The plea states that no law bans an OCI cardholder from joining a protest. Heavy security, including paramilitary forces, remains deployed around Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar.

Context

Court battles and high-profile demonstrations often follow mass detentions and police restrictions during major political protests in the capital. OCI cardholders possess specific residency rights in India but remain subject to domestic laws governing foreign nationals and political activities.