Jantar Mantar Stripped of Protest Status, CJP Hits Back, Opposition Takes SIR Fight to Supreme Court

The confrontation over protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation intensified on Monday after Delhi Police removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) challenged the decision and gave authorities 24 hours to respond to its request for a fresh demonstration, while the opposition moved the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The controversy has also taken an international turn, with CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke featuring in Japanese media following the protests and his detention in Delhi. The coverage has brought wider attention to the Maharashtra-based activist, whose campaign against the Election Commission has grown from street demonstrations into a national political controversy.

The decision to withdraw Jantar Mantar’s designated protest-site status marks a significant change in arrangements for public demonstrations in the capital. Delhi Police named Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as alternative venues. The move has drawn criticism from CJP, which argues that removing a long-established protest location restricts citizens’ ability to demonstrate near the country’s political centre.

CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, accompanied by legal affairs head Ratna Singh and other party members, visited Parliament Street Police Station on Monday and sought a date and time for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. The party gave police 24 hours to respond, warning that it would announce another protest date if it did not receive a satisfactory response.

The leaders also alleged that extensive security arrangements and restrictions over the weekend disrupted businesses and inconvenienced residents. CJP has maintained that its agitation demanding Kumar’s resignation will continue despite the preventive detention of its leadership and their subsequent release.

The controversy has widened into a press-freedom dispute. Nearly three dozen journalists were reportedly detained while covering the weekend protests, according to Reuters. Three reporters from The Indian Express Hindi team said they were detained despite displaying press cards and released around 45 minutes later, approximately 12 km from where they were picked up. Other journalists alleged rough handling and seizure of their phones.

The developments follow the Supreme Court’s intervention on Sunday, when it addressed concerns over detentions, public transport restrictions and journalists’ and lawyers’ ability to perform their duties.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi and 10 other INDIA bloc leaders filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging alleged discrepancies in voter deletions and other aspects of the SIR exercise.