The Delhi High Court will hear on October 9 the Indian Youth Congress’s plea challenging the Delhi Police’s refusal to allow a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The plea was mentioned for urgent listing on Thursday, October 8, before a Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma. The court said the matter would be listed on Friday. It also said that if the plea was not listed, the petitioner could mention it again.
The Indian Youth Congress approached the High Court after Delhi Police denied permission for its proposed demonstration at Jantar Mantar. The organisation is seeking permission to hold the protest on October 9 and is demanding the resignation of Mr. Kumar over what it describes as irregularities in the SIR exercise.
The proceedings place Jantar Mantar’s role as Delhi’s designated protest space at the centre of an immediate legal dispute. Permission for demonstrations at the site involves coordination between organisers and the city’s policing and public-order machinery. In this case, the High Court has been asked to examine the police decision after the proposed protest was refused.
The dispute also comes amid continuing political demonstrations over the electoral-roll revision exercise and criticism directed at the Chief Election Commissioner. The Hindu reported that Indian Youth Congress workers had earlier taken part in a ‘Mashaal Julus’ from the organisation’s office to Jantar Mantar while demanding Mr. Kumar’s resignation. A separate protest at the site on October 2 was also referenced in the report.
The case follows other security-related developments concerning the Chief Election Commissioner. The Hindu has reported that Mr. Kumar’s Z+ security was strengthened and additional forces were deployed in Delhi. The supplied report does not state the specific reasons cited by Delhi Police for refusing permission to the Indian Youth Congress or the conditions under which the proposed demonstration might be allowed.
The High Court’s hearing will therefore determine the immediate legal status of the organisation’s request. Until the Bench considers the plea, permission for the October 9 protest remains the subject of the pending proceedings. The matter is scheduled to come before the court on Friday, October 9, 2026.
