The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to restrain the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its founder Abhijeet Dipke from holding a protest at Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16, while taking on record the police's assurance that all possible steps would be taken to regulate the demonstration.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Connaught Place vendor seeking directions to the police to regulate the protest in accordance with the law laid down by the Supreme Court.
The petitioner's senior counsel argued that traders and vendors would be "on the streets" if they lost another weekend to closures caused by protests in central Delhi during the festive season.
Dipke on Wednesday called on "patriots" to gather at Central Park on October 16 with the national flag, alleging that CJP members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had been "jailed for unfurling the tricolour".
The call came on the day Das and Ranka were remanded to five days of judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail for allegedly violating their peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as a designated protest site.
During Thursday's hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma submitted that steps had been taken to control the CJP's activities and assured the court that the petitioner's concerns would be addressed.
The court took the assurance on record.
"The petitioner apprehends that the conduct of respondent no. 6 (CJP) is likely to disrupt business activity in Connaught Place... When confronted, the ASG assures that the apprehension of the petitioner shall be taken care of as the respondents have already taken steps in the matter to control and regulate the activity of respondent no. 6 and if so required, all possible steps in accordance with law shall be taken. The assurance is taken on record," the order said.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on November 3.
When the petitioner's senior counsel pressed for a "specific" direction restraining the CJP from holding the protest, the bench said, "Don't insist. We have passed the order."
Senior advocate Sachhin Puri, appearing for Anil Kumar Gupta, a licensed street vendor who sells readymade garments at Palika Bazar, argued that Connaught Place was not a designated protest site and that any demonstration at Central Park would affect business in the area.
The court observed that the authorities had already denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and asked why the petitioner apprehended that the police would not take the necessary action over the proposed demonstration.
The ASG responded that the police would "perform its duty".
The PIL said that, even before Jantar Mantar was denotified as a designated protest site, the conditions governing demonstrations there were not enforced, resulting in vendors losing business.
"On or about 20.07.2026, a large agitation spilled beyond the designated area. The roads around Jantar Mantar and Parliament Street were barricaded and came to a standstill. Customers stopped coming to Connaught Place and Palika Bazar, and the petitioner could not vend, which caused loss on a daily basis," the plea stated.
The matter came before the bench after it agreed to hear the petition on an urgent basis earlier in the day.
"In the heart of Connaught Place Central Park, a protest is called. It seems we are being targeted. This is not a site (for protest). They have already started shutting down. This is the Dussehra weekend. This protest has to be stopped," the petitioner's senior counsel had said while mentioning the matter in the morning.
Central Delhi has witnessed large-scale protests by opposition parties, student groups and civil society members since June-July over various issues, including the functioning of the Election Commission.
The Supreme Court has previously issued directions in the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and Shaheen Bagh protest cases that traffic, office gates and arterial roads cannot be blocked during demonstrations.
(With inputs from PTI)
