New Delhi, August 7: The Delhi High Court on Thursday questioned whether the Central government should consider closing Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue, observing that frequent demonstrations in the heart of the national capital cause inconvenience to the public.
The observations came during the hearing of a petition filed by the All India Dalit Christian Rights Protection Committee seeking permission to hold a peaceful protest.
Delhi High Court Directs Police to Decide on Protest Request
Justice Amit Mahajan observed that while the decision on retaining Jantar Mantar as a protest site rests with the government, public life should not be disrupted by repeated demonstrations. He clarified that his remarks reflected his personal opinion and not a judicial direction.
Counsel for the petitioner, Sanjay Ghosh, told the court that the organisation had applied in July for permission to hold a peaceful protest with around 75 participants. However, the Delhi Police had neither approved nor rejected the request.
Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma informed the court that the Supreme Court is already examining the larger issue of whether Jantar Mantar should continue as a designated protest venue.
During the hearing, Ghosh argued that peaceful protest is a democratic right and referred to the Supreme Court’s observations in the Shaheen Bagh case. Justice Mahajan responded that while he was not opposed to peaceful protests, they should not disrupt normal public life.
The High Court directed the Delhi Police to take a decision on the petitioner’s application for protest permission by August 8.
Now you can get the latest stories from Indtoday on Telegram every day. Click the link to subscribe. Click to follow Indtoday’s Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. For all the latest Hyderabad News updates and Follow us on GoogleNews
