The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre’s response to petitions seeking standard operating procedures for regulating protests in the national capital, after traders, vendors and lawyers argued that repeated demonstrations and barricading in central Delhi were disrupting access and business activity.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Vasudev Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma asked lawyers representing the Centre and other authorities to gather facts before the matter is listed for hearing on Friday. The bench also directed the petitioners to place on record copies of related petitions pending before the Supreme Court.
The court said it did not want to hear issues that are already under consideration before the Supreme Court. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma informed the bench that the Supreme Court proceedings had been adjourned until October 15. The High Court subsequently deferred the matter until October 16.
The petitions have been filed by traders, vendors and lawyers. They seek the regulation of protests in Delhi under established rules and a standard operating procedure. The petitioners’ lawyers argued that existing directions issued by the Supreme Court on managing demonstrations should be followed by the authorities.
The proceedings relate to a series of large protests in central Delhi since June-July over different issues connected with the functioning of the Election Commission. The protests have involved opposition parties, student groups and civil society members, according to the submissions made before the court.
Representing traders, senior advocate Sanjay Poddar told the court that October to February is a crucial business period because of the festive season. He argued that recent protests had adversely affected commercial activity. Senior advocate Sachin Puri, appearing for petitioner and lawyer Rishabh Saxena, said a recent demonstration involving hundreds of people had brought activity in central Delhi to a halt.
Puri also submitted that traders had suffered losses of up to Rs 2,000 crore in recent days because of the manner in which protests and barricading were handled. The figure was presented as a claim by the petitioners and was not independently assessed in the court proceedings described in the report.
The petitioners said areas such as Connaught Place had become inaccessible during the demonstrations, affecting nearby markets as well. Their submissions place public access and commercial disruption alongside the larger question of how authorities can manage protests while maintaining movement through central business districts.
The immediate issue before the High Court is whether it can examine the petitions while related matters remain pending before the Supreme Court. The case is scheduled to come up again on October 16 after the court receives the relevant material and considers the status of the proceedings before the apex court.
