Delhi Police has removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues and named Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi as alternative locations for demonstrations, changing the official framework for public protests in the capital.
The decision was issued through Standing Order No. 48/2026 by Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 11. The order partially modifies Standing Order No. 48/2022, issued on April 28, 2022, which had governed the designated locations for protests and demonstrations in the city.
According to the order, the Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a committee to examine alternative venues where citizens could exercise their right to organise protests. Based on the committee’s recommendations, Jantar Mantar has now been removed from the list, while the three other sites have been formally designated for demonstrations.
Ramlila Ground is a long-established venue for large public gatherings in central Delhi. Burari Ground and CBD Ground, located in or around East Delhi, expand the designated protest network beyond the central area. The order does not specify the number of participants that each venue can accommodate or whether different categories of demonstrations will be assigned to particular locations.
Delhi Police said detailed standard operating procedures for protests at the newly designated venues would be issued separately. Those procedures are expected to set out the operational rules governing demonstrations, although the supplied order does not provide details on permissions, crowd limits, routes, timings, traffic arrangements or security protocols.
The change places greater importance on how protest access will be managed across a geographically dispersed city. Jantar Mantar has historically been associated with demonstrations because of its central location and proximity to government institutions. Moving designated activity to venues including Burari Ground and CBD Ground may alter how demonstrators reach protest sites and how police manage movement, public order and nearby traffic.
The decision also changes the administrative geography of protest in Delhi. While the Ministry of Home Affairs committee examined alternative locations, the Delhi Police order is the instrument that formally removes Jantar Mantar and designates the three replacement grounds. The forthcoming SOPs will determine how the revised arrangement operates in practice.
Until those procedures are issued, the order establishes the venues but leaves several implementation details open. Delhi Police’s next step is to release the detailed SOPs governing demonstrations at Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground.
