Contempt plea in Supreme Court over closure of Delhi Metro stations

New Delhi: A contempt petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, alleging that authorities violated the court’s direction against a complete shutdown of Delhi Metro and railway services during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest on Saturday.

The petition, filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi, has named Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and others as respondents. It alleged that metro stations in the national capital continued to remain closed despite the apex court’s October 9 order.

The petitioner claimed that he visited the GTB Nagar and Vishwavidyalaya metro stations at around 9.30 pm and found the entry gates shut. He said he recorded videos of the locked gates as evidence.

According to the plea, the restrictions had crippled public life and caused hardship to commuters.

The petition referred to the Supreme Court’s October 9 order passed while hearing a separate plea against the closure of 57 metro stations and the cancellation of trains to Delhi in view of the CJP protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, had directed the Centre to ensure that there was no “complete prohibition” on the movement of metro trains and trains arriving in Delhi on October 10.

The court said law enforcement agencies could take steps to regulate movement, but citizens should not be subjected to undue harassment.

“It appears that the notifications are overreaching, as they impose a complete ban upon essential public transportation. Upon our indication that a distinction exists between total ‘prohibition’ and the ‘regulation’ of metro and other train movements, Solicitor General of India has fairly agreed to impress upon the authorities to reassess such prohibitions,” the bench had observed.

The court clarified that while there should be no outright ban on metro services, authorities could operate trains in a “suitable and regulated manner” depending on the situation.

It also directed that such decisions be widely publicised to prevent inconvenience to commuters. The bench further asked authorities to issue traffic advisories in newspapers and on online platforms to ensure smooth vehicular movement within the city.

Despite the order, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had announced the closure of 45 stations from 9 pm on Friday till 6 pm on Saturday citing security reasons.