A petition before the Delhi High Court has sought a standard operating procedure (SOP) for protests in the capital, arguing that demonstrations should be conducted in designated locations and organised in a way that does not obstruct businesses or other work. The petition claims that traders have suffered losses of approximately ₹2,000 crore because of protests in recent days.
The matter was mentioned by senior advocate Sanjay Poddar before a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Nitin Vasudev Sambare. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma informed the court that a similar matter is pending before the Supreme Court.
The High Court said the petition would be heard along with other cases concerning Jantar Mantar. The court’s decision to link the matter with existing proceedings means that the question of how protests are regulated in and around designated demonstration spaces will be considered in a broader legal context.
According to the petition, an SOP and the implementation of relevant Supreme Court directions should be ordered to ensure that demonstrations take place at fixed locations and follow an organised process. It also asks that protests be conducted in a manner that does not affect the work of traders and other members of the public.
The petition’s stated concern is the impact of demonstrations on commercial activity. It does not seek an unrestricted prohibition on protests; instead, it calls for rules governing how and where demonstrations are held. The filing places the issue within the administrative challenge of managing public demonstrations in a dense capital city where commercial areas, roads, public institutions and designated protest venues operate close to one another.
The petition’s estimate of approximately ₹2,000 crore in losses is a claim made in the case and has been reported as part of the filing. The supplied report does not provide the method used to calculate the figure, the businesses covered, the time period involved or an independent assessment of the alleged losses.
The proceedings also come against the backdrop of continuing legal questions over the regulation of protests in Delhi. The High Court is separately considering matters related to Jantar Mantar, while the Additional Solicitor General’s submission indicates that the Supreme Court is examining a similar issue. The High Court will hear the petition together with the other Jantar Mantar-related cases.
