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A plea has been moved before the Delhi High Court on Monday (October 12) against closure of Jantar Mantar for carrying out peaceful protests, on the ground that there is no other place earmarked for protests.

A division bench lead by Acting Chief Justice Nitin Sambre permitted listing of the matter on Tuesday. 

A counsel appeared and said that the matter concerns the issue of curtailment of right to free speech. He said that the Jantar Mantar has been closed and there is no other place to carry out protest in accordance with law.

As the counsel requested that the matter be listed today, ACJ Sambre said:

“Please try to understand. The Supreme Court is equally seized of the matter. The Supreme Court has called upon the Union to file an affidavit also. Once the Supreme Court is looking into it, to what extent we can look into it…. Lets wait. We will have it tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, another petition was mentioned before the bench urging that on the protests carried out on October 10-11, some outsiders entered the protest site and harassed people with lathis. The bench permitted listing of this matter on Tuesday as well. 

The second petition moved by Vinod Jhakar, seeks a fair, independent and time-bound probe into a series of assaults committed in broad daylight on 10.10.2026 at Connaught Place and on the roads adjoining Jantar Mantar, New Delhi.

It states that the victims were ordinary members of the public; they were unarmed, were harming no one, and were on their way to a peaceful protest. The assailants were groups of anti-social elements in civil dress, who held no office and had no authority of law. A public protest demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner of India has been under way at and around Jantar Mantar since 02.10.2026, and a further gathering was called for 10.10.2026. 

On that day, at about 2:00 PM, groups of men in civil dress collected at Connaught Place. The plea alleges that these groups surrounded, manhandled and assaulted persons who had come for the protest, as well as passers-by.The incidents were recorded by persons present and by reporters of news outlets.

The plea states that the video recordings by news outlets show a man held in a neck-lock by one assailant while others shout at him; a youth thrown to the ground while a man stands over him with a clenched fist and then drags him by his clothing; a long-haired youth held against a railing by three men and struck on the head; a man whose shirt has been torn from his back in a crowd; a person bent double on the road, shielding his head, being held, struck and kicked; and a man lunging at the camera of a woman reporter who was recording the events.

The second petition seeks an SIT probe, preservation of CCTV footage and an inquiry into the police response.






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