Jantar Mantar No Longer Delhi’s Designated Protest Site: What the Supreme Court Said and What Changed
The Supreme Court did not ban protests at Jantar Mantar on October 9. It asked authorities to consider a better venue. Two days later, Delhi Police formally de-notified Jantar Mantar and designated Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as Delhi’s new protest venues.
Editorial illustration representing the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as Delhi’s designated protest venue
Table of Contents (14 sections)
NEW DELHI — Jantar Mantar is no longer Delhi’s designated venue for protests and demonstrations, but that change was not directly ordered by the Supreme Court.
That distinction is important.
When the Supreme Court took up the issue on October 9, it was primarily examining sweeping restrictions imposed ahead of planned demonstrations in the capital, including proposed disruptions to Metro and railway services. During that hearing, the court asked the authorities to consider whether a larger and better-equipped alternative to Jantar Mantar should be identified for peaceful protests.
The administrative change came afterwards.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar issued Standing Order No. L&O/48/2026 on October 11, de-notifying Jantar Mantar as a protest venue and designating three other locations: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi.
That means the position as of October 13 is clearer than it was immediately after the Supreme Court hearing: Jantar Mantar has formally lost its status as Delhi’s designated protest venue.
At the same time, several details about how the replacement system will operate remain unresolved because Delhi Police has said a detailed revised standard operating procedure for demonstrations at the three new locations will be issued separately.
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Supreme Court (Oct 9) asked authorities to consider a better alternative to Jantar Mantar.
Delhi Police (Oct 11) de-notified Jantar Mantar via Standing Order L&O/48/2026.
New designated venues: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground.
Court did not ban protests at Jantar Mantar or itself select the new sites.
Detailed revised SOP for the new venues is still awaited.
What actually changed?
There are two separate developments that need to be understood.
First, the Supreme Court asked the authorities to reconsider whether Jantar Mantar remained the most appropriate designated protest venue.
Second, Delhi Police subsequently acted through a standing order and removed Jantar Mantar from that role.
The court itself did not issue an order saying that protests at Jantar Mantar must be permanently banned. Nor did the Supreme Court itself select Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as the replacement locations.
Those decisions came through the administrative process that followed.
The October 11 standing order says the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted a committee to examine alternative venues where citizens could organise protests and demonstrations instead of the existing designated site.
Based on the committee’s recommendations, Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar and named the three new venues.
The order partially modifies an earlier Delhi Police standing order dated April 28, 2022.
What the Supreme Court said on October 9
The October 9 proceedings arose against the backdrop of planned demonstrations in Delhi and extensive security arrangements ahead of the CJP’s October 10 protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana examined concerns over measures affecting public transport.
The court was particularly concerned about proposals that would significantly restrict access to Delhi Metro stations and disrupt railway services.
Its central message was that law-enforcement agencies could take preventive and regulatory measures to maintain public order, but those measures had to remain proportionate.
The court distinguished between regulating movement where necessary and bringing ordinary public transportation to a halt.
That mattered because the restrictions did not affect only protesters. Workers, students, senior citizens, patients and other commuters across Delhi and the National Capital Region depend heavily on trains and the Metro.
During the same proceedings, the question of an alternative protest venue also arose.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the competent authority would consider identifying a location other than Jantar Mantar for peaceful demonstrations.
The bench recorded that the authorities should consider a suitable place where basic amenities could be provided for peaceful and lawful protesters.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan pointed to Ramlila Maidan as one possible option if Jantar Mantar was unavailable.
Chief Justice Surya Kant also referred during the hearing to practical problems associated with the Jantar Mantar area, including nearby government residences and the lack of adequate facilities such as toilets for protesters.
The court’s position therefore involved two linked considerations: preserving the ability to hold peaceful demonstrations while reducing disproportionate disruption to residents and the wider public.
The court did not itself impose the new venue arrangement.
That came later through Delhi Police.
From a court suggestion to a formal Delhi Police order
The speed of the subsequent change is significant.
The Supreme Court discussed the need for a suitable alternative on October 9.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar signed the new standing order on October 11.
The change was publicly reported on October 12.
Under that order, Jantar Mantar ceased to be a designated protest venue and three locations replaced it.
Ramlila Ground is one of the most established large gathering spaces in central Delhi and has previously hosted political rallies and public meetings.
Burari Ground provides a considerably different setting in North Delhi.
CBD Ground is located in East Delhi.
Together, the three locations distribute designated demonstrations across different parts of the capital rather than concentrating them in the Jantar Mantar area close to major central government institutions.
The order itself, however, does not settle every operational question.
Delhi Police has said detailed and revised SOPs for organising protests at the three venues will be issued separately.
Until those procedures are published, questions such as crowd limits, application requirements, permitted hours, security conditions, notice periods and other venue-specific restrictions should not be assumed.
Those details will depend on the revised SOP.
Is Jantar Mantar now “banned” for protests?
Calling the development simply a “Supreme Court ban on Jantar Mantar” would be inaccurate.
The Supreme Court did not impose such a ban on October 9.
What has happened is that Delhi Police has formally de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue.
That is an important administrative change because groups seeking to organise demonstrations in Delhi will now be directed toward the newly designated locations and the procedures governing them.
But the legal distinction matters.
The astronomical monument called Jantar Mantar has not been “banned”, and the order is not about closing the historic site to ordinary visitors.
It concerns the status of Jantar Mantar as an officially designated location for protests and demonstrations.
Nor should the change be described as a Supreme Court finding that peaceful protests at Jantar Mantar are unconstitutional or unlawful.
No such finding was made.
The court asked the authorities to consider an alternative. Delhi Police subsequently changed the designated venues following recommendations from a Home Ministry-constituted committee.
Why Jantar Mantar mattered
Jantar Mantar's importance as a protest location came partly from geography.
Its central Delhi location placed demonstrators relatively close to Parliament, government offices, political institutions and national media organisations.
For years it served as one of the most recognisable physical spaces in India for groups seeking national attention for grievances ranging from agricultural issues and corruption to employment, social justice and public policy.
Its relatively limited area also meant that even a demonstration involving a few thousand people could appear substantial.
But precisely those characteristics created competing concerns.
Large demonstrations could affect traffic, businesses, residents and access to central Delhi.
Police deployments and barricades introduced during politically sensitive demonstrations could themselves create disruption far beyond the protest site.
The October 2026 dispute highlighted that tension again.
Authorities maintained that they needed security measures to preserve public order.
Protesters and their lawyers questioned whether restrictions affecting transport and movement across the city went further than necessary.
The Supreme Court responded by emphasising proportionality rather than accepting an all-or-nothing approach.
The longer legal history: what the Supreme Court said in 2018
The current change also revives an important earlier Supreme Court ruling concerning Jantar Mantar.
In Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan v. Union of India, decided in July 2018, the Supreme Court considered the conflict between the rights of people wishing to hold peaceful demonstrations and the rights of residents affected by continuous protests.
The court recognised peaceful protest and assembly as constitutionally protected activity under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b), subject to reasonable restrictions.
At the same time, it accepted that authorities could regulate demonstrations to protect residents, public order and other legitimate interests.
A particularly important principle from that judgment was that balancing competing rights should not result in the complete extinction of one side’s rights.
The court therefore favoured regulated use rather than a blanket solution.
It directed the Delhi Police Commissioner, in consultation with other agencies, to develop an appropriate mechanism for limited and regulated demonstrations in the Jantar Mantar and related areas.
That 2018 judgment does not automatically answer every legal question surrounding the 2026 standing order.
The present arrangement is different, and the October 11 order emerged after a fresh administrative review of alternative venues.
But the earlier judgment remains relevant to the broader constitutional debate because it established that protest regulation requires a balance between peaceful assembly and the rights of residents and the public.
What the government side has argued
During the October 9 proceedings, the government did not argue that authorities had no obligation to accommodate peaceful protest.
Instead, the Solicitor General told the Supreme Court that the government would reconsider the measures and examine a suitable alternative venue.
The government’s broader position has centred on maintaining law and order while preventing large demonstrations from causing serious disruption to public transportation and daily life.
The Supreme Court accepted that law-enforcement authorities have the power and responsibility to take preventive steps where necessary.
Its concern was with proportionality.
In other words, the question was not whether authorities could regulate a protest, but whether measures affecting large numbers of people who were not participating in the demonstration went beyond what the situation required.
What protesters and their lawyers argued
Lawyers appearing during the proceedings questioned both the denial of permission at Jantar Mantar and the wider restrictions placed on movement and transportation.
Their position emphasised that citizens cannot meaningfully exercise the right to protest if the available venue is inaccessible or if restrictions effectively prevent participants from reaching the capital.
Prashant Bhushan suggested that Ramlila Maidan could have been considered if permission at Jantar Mantar was being denied.
The debate has now moved to a different stage because Ramlila Ground is one of the three venues formally designated under the new police order.
Protest groups have also raised concerns over shifting demonstrations away from Jantar Mantar, arguing that proximity to the institutions being petitioned is itself an important element of public protest.
Authorities, on the other hand, have to weigh that consideration against security, traffic, resident access and the practical management of large gatherings.
Those competing positions are likely to remain central to the public debate even after the venue change.
Three-line CJP timeline
October 3, 2026 — Rajatheertha followed the CJP “Jail Bharo” mobilisation at Shivaji Park, where a 75-year-old participant died and CJP leader Abhijit Dipke was arrested.
October 9–10, 2026 — The Supreme Court examined extensive transport and security restrictions ahead of the CJP’s planned Jantar Mantar protest, while Delhi Police denied permission and demonstrations and detentions followed.
October 11–12, 2026 — Delhi Police issued the new standing order de-notifying Jantar Mantar and formally naming Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as Delhi’s new designated protest venues.
What changes for someone planning a protest in Delhi?
The immediate practical change is the location.
Jantar Mantar should no longer be treated as Delhi’s designated protest site under the current standing order.
Organisers will instead have to work within the system governing the three replacement venues.
But it would be premature to state precise procedural requirements beyond that.
Delhi Police has specifically said that a revised SOP for the new locations will be issued separately.
That document will be important because designation of a venue does not itself mean that any group can assemble there at any time without permission or regulation.
Existing public-order laws and police requirements remain relevant.
Organisers therefore need to check the applicable permission process and the new SOP rather than assuming that designation means automatic approval.
What has not changed
The administrative relocation of Delhi’s designated protest venues does not erase the constitutional right to peaceful expression and assembly.
Those rights continue to be protected under Article 19, subject to constitutionally permissible restrictions.
The state also continues to carry responsibility for maintaining public order and protecting residents, commuters and public infrastructure.
The Supreme Court's October 9 intervention did not choose one of those interests to the complete exclusion of the other.
Instead, the proceedings repeatedly returned to proportionality.
That principle may prove more important than the identity of any single protest ground.
Security measures can be imposed.
Protests can be regulated.
Permission systems can operate.
But restrictions affecting an entire city still need to have a rational relationship with the problem authorities are trying to prevent and should not impose unnecessary hardship on people who have nothing to do with a demonstration.
What happens next
The most important document to watch now is the revised Delhi Police SOP for Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground.
It should provide the practical rules under which future demonstrations will be considered.
Those rules will determine how the new system works in practice: how organisers apply, what conditions may be imposed, how crowd management will operate and how authorities intend to balance public demonstrations with transport, security and local concerns.
Any future legal challenge to the new arrangement would have to be assessed on its own pleadings and facts. As of this update, it would be premature to describe the Supreme Court as having approved or rejected the October 11 de-notification itself merely because it had earlier asked authorities to consider an alternative.
The sequence is therefore important.
The Supreme Court raised the question.
The government said it would consider an alternative.
A Home Ministry-constituted committee examined alternatives.
Delhi Police then formally changed Delhi’s designated protest map.
For Delhi residents and protest organisers, that administrative change is already real.
The next question is how the rules governing the three replacement venues will work in practice — and whether the new arrangement succeeds in protecting both the democratic space for peaceful dissent and the rights of the wider public.
Key Takeaway
Supreme Court asked for a better alternative; Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar and named Ramlila, Burari and CBD Grounds.
No Supreme Court ban on Jantar Mantar protests.
Revised SOP for the new venues is the next key document.
The Rajatheertha Team publishes news, explainers, guides and updates across India and the world. Our coverage follows Rajatheertha's editorial, verification and corrections standards.
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