The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to restrain the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, from proceeding with a planned protest at Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16. The decision came following a hearing before a bench comprised of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, which focused on managing the potential impact of the demonstration on the city's central business hub.
The legal challenge was initiated by a Connaught Place vendor who approached the court on an urgent basis. The petitioner sought directives from the court to ensure that the police regulate the gathering in accordance with established legal standards laid down by the Supreme Court. The petitioner's senior counsel raised concerns that local traders and vendors would face significant financial hardship if a second consecutive weekend of business was disrupted by protest activity during the peak festive season.
Arguments presented on behalf of the petitioner highlighted that the chosen location, Central Park, is not designated as a protest site. The counsel argued that the demonstrations threatened to impede trade, describing the situation as an urgent matter requiring judicial intervention to prevent the closure of businesses during the Dussehra weekend. Despite these arguments, the bench declined to impose a specific injunction against the group.
During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma appeared on behalf of the authorities. He informed the court that the police had already implemented measures to manage the activities of the CJP. He provided an assurance to the bench that the concerns raised by the petitioner regarding the regulation of the protest would be addressed. The court subsequently took this assurance on record, opting not to issue an order stopping the event.
The protest call by the CJP follows the recent detention of two party members, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. Both individuals were remanded to five days of judicial custody and are currently lodged in Tihar Jail. They are accused of violating peace bonds and trespassing into Jantar Mantar, a location that has been denotified as a formal protest site. In response to these developments, founder Abhijeet Dipke has called upon supporters to gather at Central Park with the national flag, alleging that the members were jailed for unfurling the Tricolour.
The city of Delhi has experienced a rise in demonstrations throughout this year, with various opposition parties, student organisations, and civil society groups participating in large-scale protests since June and July. This recent influx of activity has increasingly pitted the rights of protestors against the operational needs of business owners in high-traffic commercial zones like Connaught Place.
As the matter concluded, the bench dismissed the request for a restrictive order, stating that they had already passed the necessary directions by recording the state’s assurance. With the court's refusal to block the assembly, the CJP's planned protest at the designated location in Delhi’s central business district is set to proceed under police oversight intended to mitigate public disruption.
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