Supreme Court Defers Urgent Plea Over Connaught Place Protest

The Supreme Court on October 16 declined to issue urgent orders on a traders’ plea concerning a planned Cockroach Janta Party protest at Central Park in Connaught Place, saying it could revisit the matter after the Dussehra vacation. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard concerns about the proposed demonstration and the New Delhi Municipal Council’s decision to close the park. It indicated the plea could be listed on October 26 or 27 and said it could act if necessary. The court did not rule on whether the closure was disproportionate or whether traders had suffered unlawful losses. The petition was brought by the Delhi Kirana Committee and the Delhi Iron and Hardware Merchant Association. Their counsel, Jai Anant Dehadrai, told the court that disruption could affect trade worth Rs 200 crore a day during the festive season. Traders also claimed losses of Rs 2,000 crore since October 10, and Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore in Connaught Place on October 10. Those figures were claims presented by traders, not findings by the court. The judges acknowledged the importance of shopkeepers’ livelihoods while noting that the dispute also involved...