Connaught Place protests have put businesses in Delhi’s central commercial district under renewed pressure, with a restaurant owner seeking compensation for alleged losses and asking the Delhi High Court to prevent a proposed gathering at Central Park. Delhi Police has also served a notice to the protest organiser ahead of the announced event.
The Cockroach Janta Party, or CJP, has called for a ‘Tiranga March’ at Central Park in Connaught Place at 5pm on October 16. The gathering was announced by party founder Abhijeet Dipke, according to the petition mentioned before the court. The restaurant owner’s establishment is located about 700 metres from the proposed gathering site.
The petitioner, Aayush Chopra, whose family has operated Minar Restaurant in Connaught Place since July 2017, has sought an assessment of losses suffered by his business and other traders during an earlier agitation on October 10. He has also sought compensation from those responsible and directions to prevent the proposed gathering and other unauthorised demonstrations in the market.
The petition was mentioned before a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Vasudev Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma. The bench directed that the matter be listed along with connected petitions. The petition claims that shops in Connaught Place remained closed on October 10 even though permission for the gathering had been refused.
The loss figures cited in the petition come from trader bodies. The New Delhi Traders Association estimated losses in Connaught Place at Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore on October 10, while the Chamber of Trade and Industry estimated that business worth Rs 2,000 crore was affected across Delhi. These figures have been presented by the petitioner and have not been independently assessed in the material available.
National Restaurant Association of India treasurer Manpreet Singh said the announcement of protests had discouraged people from visiting Connaught Place, even on days when movement restrictions were not in place. “People are afraid to come here. They do not want to get involved in a protest or find themselves in a difficult situation,” Singh said, according to PTI.
Singh said the impact was particularly severe during the festive season, when families typically visit the district for shopping, dining and entertainment. He said some establishments had recorded zero sales on certain days and argued that demonstrations should be held away from commercial areas and at designated protest sites. Businesses in and around Connaught Place employ lakhs of people, he said, and depend on regular customer footfall to meet operating costs and pay salaries.
The petition argues that Central Park is not a designated protest venue and that the gathering was announced only two days in advance. It refers to a standing order regulating demonstrations in and around Central Vista and states that Jantar Mantar was denotified as a designated protest site on October 11, with three alternative venues identified.
The legal challenge frames the dispute as a balance between the right to protest and the rights of traders, workers, commuters and other citizens to carry on their livelihoods. It also cites the Supreme Court’s observation that protests cannot be held anywhere and at any time.
Delhi Police’s notice to Dipke directs him to refrain from actions that could prejudice the rights of citizens, traders, commuters and others. The court listing and the police notice are the next formal steps in the dispute over the proposed Central Park gathering.
