Delhi’s New Protest Site Ramlila Maidan Has Only Three Available Dates Till Year-End

Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, recently designated as one of the capital’s three protest venues, has no available booking dates for the next two-and-a-half months, with only December 29, 30 and 31 open for reservations, officials said.

The 12-acre ground, which can accommodate up to 50,000 people, is booked for various programmes and festivities, including Ramlila celebrations, ahead of major festivals such as Dussehra and Diwali.

Booking the venue costs Rs 50,000 per day, apart from a refundable security deposit of Rs 55,000. The initial expenditure, including taxes, comes to around Rs 1.21 lakh for a day, a civic official said.

While a small portion of the ground can be used for protests without the full booking arrangement, it can accommodate only 150 people, officials said.

The venue is booked through the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s horticulture department, and applicants must obtain a no-objection certificate from Delhi Police before permission is granted.

Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar’s October 11 standing order de-notified Jantar Mantar as a protest site and designated Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi for demonstrations. A revised standard operating procedure for the venues will be issued separately.

AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the arrangement, questioning how demonstrations could be held when the ground was occupied by Ramlila events.

Officials also flagged traffic congestion as a concern, citing the venue’s location in a busy commercial area near three hospitals and municipal headquarters. Large gatherings have previously prompted traffic diversions on Asaf Ali Road and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg.

The ground has a long political history. Once a pond, it was levelled in 1930, and Ramlila performances began there in 1932. It later hosted major political rallies, including a 1975 meeting addressed by Jayaprakash Narayan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In 2013, Arvind Kejriwal took oath as Delhi chief minister at the venue.