Delhi Police has denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, requiring future demonstrations to shift to Ramlila Maidan, CBD Ground or Burari Ground under a standing order issued by Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 12, 2026.
The decision comes as Delhi has witnessed a series of demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Student and youth organisations, along with INDIA bloc leaders, have held protests in and around Jantar Mantar and Central Delhi, with thousands detained for unlawful assembly, according to The Hindu.
The move also changes the administrative geography of protest in the capital. Jantar Mantar, located in central New Delhi, had been a recognised site for demonstrations for years. The three designated alternatives are spread across different parts of the city and vary considerably in size, accessibility, management arrangements and booking requirements.
Ramlila Maidan, located about four kilometres from Jantar Mantar, covers more than 12 acres and is managed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for bookings and general administration. The ground has hosted political meetings and large cultural events, including annual Ramlila and Dussehra programmes. It has also been used for major political gatherings since the 1950s.
However, availability at Ramlila Maidan is currently limited. Officials told news agency PTI that the venue has no free dates for the next two and a half months, except December 29, 30 and 31. The reported booking charge is ₹50,000 a day, along with a refundable security deposit of ₹55,000. Including taxes, the initial payment for a day is ₹1.21 lakh. A smaller portion of the ground is available without charge for gatherings of up to 150 people.
The booking system raises an immediate operational issue for protest groups. A 2017 report by The Hindu noted that only one party could book the venue at a time. Unlike Jantar Mantar, which had no booking charge, Ramlila Maidan therefore requires both advance scheduling and financial outlay for larger demonstrations.
CBD Ground is located in Shahdara, about 13 kilometres from Jantar Mantar. The 12-acre site is maintained by the Delhi Development Authority and adjoins Vikas Marg, a major arterial road linking the Trans-Yamuna area with Central Delhi through the ITO Bridge. Its location in a densely developed commercial and residential area could affect nearby businesses, traffic movement and local communities when large demonstrations are held.
Burari Ground, also known as Nirankari Ground, is the largest of the three designated venues. It covers 50 acres in north-west Delhi and is about 15 kilometres from Jantar Mantar. The Delhi Development Authority manages the ground, which is bounded by Dr K. B. Hedgewar Marg and Shah Alam Band Marg. It is regularly used for cultural and political programmes.
The new arrangement follows earlier attempts to regulate the scale and location of demonstrations. In 2003, a Delhi Police standing order reportedly directed protests of fewer than 5,000 people to Jantar Mantar, those between 5,000 and 50,000 to Ramlila Maidan, and larger gatherings to Burari Ground, with Narela designated for events exceeding that scale. After a July 2018 Supreme Court order held that public protests could not be completely banned, Delhi Police allowed demonstrations at Jantar Mantar with a limit of up to 1,000 people.
The National Green Tribunal had raised concerns in 2017 about noise, traffic congestion and prolonged sit-in demonstrations at Jantar Mantar. Activists and Opposition parties have criticised the latest denotification, alleging that moving protests away from Central Delhi could restrict citizens’ right to demonstrate.
On October 13, leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, including Saurav Das, Ajinkya Shinde and Ashutosh Ranka, were detained while attempting to enter Jantar Mantar. A senior Delhi Police officer told The Hindu that protesters entered the area through nearby eateries and food stalls. The officer said that, since Jantar Mantar was no longer a designated protest site, staging demonstrations there was illegal and further action was under way.
