The Delhi High Court will hear a plea against the closure of Jantar Mantar due to the October 13 protests

Security personnel near Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on October 11, 2026. | Photo credit: Sushil Kumar Verm

The Delhi High Court, while on Monday (Oct 12, 2026) declined to hear a plea challenging the closure of Jantar Mantar due to peaceful protests, posted a hearing on Tuesday (Oct 13, 2026) saying the Supreme Court had already taken up the matter.

The court also agreed to hear another petition on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) alleging that “foreigners” took part in the protest held over the weekend and harassed the protesters.

The lawyer mentioned the matter before the bench of Chief Justice Nitin Wasude Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma and said that the peaceful protests were suppressed because the authorities did not earmark an alternative venue for them. When the counsel on Monday (October 12, 2026) requested the Bench to urgently hear the petition regarding the venue of the protest, the court noted that the Supreme Court is also dealing with the issue.

“Tomorrow. The Supreme Court will equally seize the matter. Not only that, but the Supreme Court has called upon the Union to file its affidavits as well. Once it is seized in the Supreme Court, we have to see – to what extent we can look at it again. Hence, we will take it up tomorrow,” the Bench replied.

A lawyer mentioning the matter told the Bench that “the right to freedom of expression has been suppressed to a large extent and this has a huge impact”.

“Now Jantar Mantar is also closed today. There is no other place that has been earmarked by the executive to actually hold a protest in accordance with the law. Peaceful protests are being suppressed today. This will be an absolutely black day. We faced this in 1975,” the lawyer said.

Hundreds of people took to the streets on October 10 and 11 after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

(With PTI inputs)

Published – 12 Oct 2026 11:44 IST