The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the Centre’s response to petitions seeking regulated protests in the national capital, after traders, vendors and lawyers said demonstrations and barricading had disrupted access to central Delhi’s commercial areas.
A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma directed counsel appearing for the Centre and other authorities to seek instructions. The matter will be taken up on Friday, October 16, after the petitioners place on record copies of related petitions pending before the Supreme Court.
“We don’t want to cover an area already sub judice in the Supreme Court,” the Bench observed. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the court that the petitions before the Supreme Court had been adjourned to October 15.
The petitions were mentioned for urgent hearing after senior advocate Sacchin Puri requested that the matter be taken up during the court’s morning session. Appearing for advocate Rishabh Saxena, Mr. Puri submitted that recent protests in central Delhi had brought normal life to a standstill and that barricading had restricted access to major commercial locations.
“Traders have lost up to ₹2,000 crore in recent times because of barricading and how protests are happening… People can’t approach areas like Connaught Place. It is completely unapproachable,” Mr. Puri submitted.
Senior advocate Sanjay Poddar, appearing for the traders, said the disruption had occurred during a crucial period for businesses, with October to February representing the peak festive and winter trading season. The petitioners also argued that the Supreme Court had issued directions on regulating protests and that authorities should ensure compliance with them.
Central Delhi has witnessed large demonstrations by Opposition parties, student groups and civil society members since June-July over issues concerning the functioning of the Election Commission of India. The court’s proceedings place the question of protest regulation alongside the practical effects of crowd control measures on movement, commercial access and public spaces.
The Bench also dealt with separate petitions linked to protests and alleged assaults. A petition by National Students’ Union of India president Vinod Jakhar, seeking a fair, independent and time-bound probe into alleged assaults on ordinary protesters on October 10, was adjourned to November. The petition claimed that videos showed people in civilian clothes manhandling and beating peaceful protesters.
The Additional Solicitor General questioned the maintainability of that public interest litigation, saying it had not complied with rules governing such petitions. The court allowed the Centre three weeks to file its preliminary objections. The petitioner’s counsel also asked for directions to preserve relevant CCTV footage.
Another public interest litigation seeking directions to allow peaceful protests in and around Jantar Mantar, and to earmark separate locations for agitations, was adjourned to October 16. That petition also sought a Special Investigation Team probe into alleged atrocities against peaceful protesters and an examination of claims concerning house arrests. The High Court’s next hearing on October 16 is expected to consider the Centre’s response and the overlap with proceedings before the Supreme Court.
