Supreme Court weighs Jantar Mantar protest-site challenge

The Supreme Court said a designated protest site cannot be occupied indefinitely as it considers challenges to Delhi Police’s decision to remove Jantar Mantar from the list of approved protest venues and allegations of police surveillance there. A three-judge bench said protest permissions should be for an identified period and account for other groups seeking to use a site. The court also recognized the need to balance the right to protest with other people’s rights, including livelihoods and access to public spaces. It has not ruled on the challenge to the Jantar Mantar decision. Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar told the court that Jantar Mantar was denotified after he considered a unanimous recommendation from a Ministry of Home Affairs committee. The police said the decision reflected concerns about public order, traffic, crowd control, emergency access and nearby sensitive institutions, and was not prompted by a Supreme Court order. According to the police affidavit, Jantar Mantar’s assessed capacity was about 1,500 people, and the July 20 protest exceeded it. Police also described the site as a public road and argued that it was unsuitable for large demonstrations....