Published Oct 12, 2026 | 2:51 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 12, 2026 | 3:40 PM
Jantar Mantar, in central New Delhi, has long served as a prominent site for citizens, workers, farmers to raise grievances.
Synopsis: The Delhi Police has de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and named three alternative venues in east Delhi following the Supreme Court’s direction to reconsider the arrangement. The move has drawn criticism from the Cockroach Janta Party, which said the decision takes away a space for people to raise their voices. Jantar Mantar has long been a key site for protests, including the July agitation demanding the removal of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and recent demonstrations against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The Delhi Police has de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated venue for protests and demonstrations, replacing it with three sites at Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi.
The decision, announced in Standing Order No. L&O/48/2026 dated 11 October, comes two days after the Supreme Court asked the Centre to reconsider Jantar Mantar as the designated protest venue and identify another location with facilities for peaceful demonstrators.
The standing order, issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, said the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a committee to examine alternative venues for citizens to exercise their right to organise protests and demonstrations. The three locations were designated on the basis of the committee’s recommendations.
The order said a revised standard operating procedure for organising protests at the three venues would be issued separately.
On 9 October, the Supreme Court said it was time to identify and designate another place with amenities for peaceful protesters. The direction followed Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta’s submission before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s Bench that the competent authority would consider designating a venue other than Jantar Mantar.
Ratna Singh, head of legal affairs at the Cockroach Janta Party, criticised the decision, saying the government had responded to demands for space to protest by de-notifying the existing site.
“First, it was a game of permissions – now, when people demand a space to raise their voices, the protest site itself is being taken away,” she wrote in a post on X.
Har Jagah Jantar Mantar Yojana!
People come to Delhi to protest at Jantar Mantar, and the government responds by de-notifying the very site meant for protests. First, it was a game of permissions – now, when people demand a space to raise their voices, the protest site itself is being taken away.
— Ratna Singh (@whattalawyer) October 12, 2026
CJP leader Saurav Das said the decision was an “assault on people’s fundamental right to protest and peaceful assembly” and said the entire country would now be Jantar Mantar.
“The Jantar Mantar belongs to THE PEOPLE OF INDIA. Did the Ministry of Home Affairs consult with the people of India? Were any stakeholders consulted? Were any organisations consulted? Take it in writing—just how they are denotifying people’s Jantar Mantar, the Prime Minister will soon denotify democracy in India. This move is a step towards that. We do not accept this arbitrary decision,” he wrote in a post on X.
Jantar Mantar, in central New Delhi, has long served as a prominent site for citizens, workers, farmers and social organisations to raise grievances and demand government action. Its proximity to Parliament and other government institutions made it a focal point for demonstrations against the Union government.
The venue became a major symbol of the July protests, led chiefly by the CJP with support from Left organisations, demanding the removal of then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The success of the campaign dealt a major blow to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government.
Since then, access to Jantar Mantar has become increasingly restricted. The venue was virtually cordoned off after protests began last week against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the revision exercise.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
