The Delhi High Court agreed on Thursday to hold an urgent hearing on a petition seeking to prevent an upcoming protest scheduled for Friday at Central Park in Connaught Place.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma agreed to take up the matter at 2:30 p.m., instructing the counsel to serve advance notice to all concerned parties. The decision came as the bench noted that related matters concerning public protests were also scheduled before the Supreme Court during the course of the day.
Commercial Disruption Cited Before Bench
The petition was brought before the court by Senior Advocate Sacchin Puri, who pressed for an immediate hearing citing potential business disruption in the capital’s central commercial hub.
Appearing before the judges, Puri argued that Central Park is not a designated demonstration zone and stated that nearby establishments were already initiating closures. He emphasized that the planned demonstration coincides with the festive Dussehra weekend, contending that commercial interests were being unfairly impacted and urging the court to halt the gathering.
Call for Demonstration Follows Arrests
The legal intervention follows a public demonstration call issued by Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke. Dipke asked supporters to assemble with national flags at Central Park on October 16, asserting that fellow party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had been imprisoned for raising the national tricolor.
Das and Ranka were remanded to five days of judicial custody and sent to Tihar Jail on the same day. Authorities placed them in custody on allegations of breaching peace bonds and trespassing into the Jantar Mantar area, which has ceased to be an authorized venue following its denotification as a protest site.
Widening Legal Scrutiny Over Public Demonstrations
The scheduled demonstration comes amid a broader series of public gatherings across central Delhi that began in June and July. Various civil society organizations, student groups, and political opposition entities have held extensive demonstrations across the city to highlight several issues, including matters surrounding the operations of the Election Commission.
The latest plea adds to ongoing legal efforts concerning the administration of public demonstrations in the national capital, following previous petitions submitted to the high court by advocate Rishabh Saxena and local merchant groups seeking tighter regulations on assemblies.
