Supreme Court seeks Centre's response on alternative protest site in Delhi

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre seeking its response on a plea seeking an alternative to Jantar Mantar in New Delhi as the designated venue for protests and demonstrations.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana termed the issue important and agreed to examine the matter.

The plea, filed by Satish Chand Kaushik, contended that Jantar Mantar was no longer a suitable venue for protests as large gatherings caused inconvenience to residents and disrupted essential services.

The petitioner argued that Jantar Mantar was designated in an earlier era for limited and manageable demonstrations, but digitally mobilised movements can now attract thousands of people within hours without a reliable command structure or verified estimate of attendance.

Citing the site's proximity to Parliament, Central Vista and other government establishments, the plea suggested that Ramlila Maidan or another large and secure ground be designated as the principal venue for protests in the national capital.

"It has been stated in the plea that Jantar Mantar is not a proper site anymore for such protests due to ingress and egress issues," the Chief Justice observed, referring to concerns including the supply of medical essentials. He directed the Centre to respond and ordered that the matter be listed separately.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel referred to a proposed political march by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and urged the court to prevent a repeat of the July 20 incident, when police used force against protesters during the Cockroach Janta Party's "Chalo Sansad" march.

The bench declined to comment on the proposed march.

"They know how to handle it. If they cannot, come to us for mishandling. I am sure they will handle it," the Chief Justice said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the Centre would file its response.