Mumbai Police has permitted the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to hold a one-day Tricolour protest inside Azad Maidan on Friday, October 16, with organisers instructed to keep participants within the designated venue and not proceed towards the Gateway of India.
The party has asked supporters to assemble at Azad Maidan between 10 am and 5 pm in support of its ongoing demonstration in Delhi. In a message to supporters, Team CJP said permission had been granted by the Azad Maidan police station and urged people to attend the protest at the ground rather than move to the Gateway of India.
A permission letter issued by the Azad Maidan police station on Thursday authorises the protest from 9 am to 6 pm. The permission has been granted under Rule 42 of the Maharashtra government’s 2025 rules governing public meetings, protests and processions within the jurisdiction of the Additional Commissioner of Police, South Region, Mumbai. The notice also refers to Section 168 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
The police have designated Azad Maidan for public meetings, rallies, demonstrations, sit-ins and processions. According to the permission letter, the venue was selected to minimise disruption to residents and traffic while providing adequate space for protest activity.
The protest area covers 7,000 square metres and has a stated maximum capacity of 5,000 participants. Organisers are responsible for ensuring that the crowd does not exceed that limit. The permission also prohibits processions towards or away from the designated protest area under Rule 7.
The conditions state that loudspeakers, public-address systems and other noise-generating equipment cannot be used without prior permission under Rule 8. Participants have also been prohibited from cooking food or littering inside the designated area under Rule 11(j).
The police have granted permission for one day at a time. The rules cited in the notice state that permissions will not be granted for Saturdays, Sundays or government and public holidays.
The approval comes amid heightened police deployment and barricading at Azad Maidan. Protesters have been asked to conduct the demonstration inside the ground rather than at its entrance or on adjoining roads. The restrictions place the responsibility for crowd size, movement, sound equipment and cleanliness on the organisers during the permitted hours.
