Delhi Police removes Jantar Mantar’s protest status, names three new venues

Delhi Police denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site on Oct 12 and listed Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as the capital’s new approved locations for gatherings. The move follows a committee set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Aug 20, a month after the Cockroach Janta Party’s July 20 march from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament. The panel, led by New Delhi Municipal Council chairperson Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, included senior officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi government, Delhi Police and the MHA. On Aug 28 the members visited Jantar Mantar, then inspected the three alternative sites, checking traffic flow, market impact and security needs, a source said. After returning at about 5.30 pm, Dwivedi was asked to draft a report for the MHA, which the ministry received in September. Legal experts were consulted and the committee concluded that Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar could issue the notification. Two days after the Chief Justice of India called for an Oct 10 protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, the commissioner issued a fresh standing order on Sep 11, revising the standard protocol for seeking permission at each of the three new sites. A challenge to the denotification will be heard by the Supreme Court in the coming days.

Context

Jantar Mantar has long been a symbolic spot for Delhi protests; moving the status shifts crowd management to other public grounds and places the decision under judicial review.