Hands Off Jantar Mantar: CJP Hits Back After Delhi HC Ransom Remark

Court flags city disruption, leaves police to decide

The Delhi High Court on Friday questioned why Jantar Mantar continues as a designated protest venue in the heart of the capital, saying large demonstrations there can "hold the entire city to ransom." The oral remarks came from Justice Amit Mahajan while hearing a permission plea by the All India Dalit Christian Rights Protection Committee (AIDCRPC) for a three-hour gathering on 10 August.

Hours later, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das pushed back on X: "HANDS OFF Jantar Mantar!" He said India Gate had already been taken off the protest map, and any further move to strip Jantar Mantar would shrink the last public space available for peaceful assembly.

What the bench said

Justice Mahajan did not ban protests. He left the call to the government and Delhi Police, which handle law and order. But he made his personal view plain.

"According to me, these things should not happen in the city, but it's the government's call. Law and order is the police's department. Why should the city be put to ransom unnecessarily?" he said, according to reporting by Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, and News18.

He also asked, "Why don't you shut it down?" and linked the inconvenience to traffic and emergency movement, including ambulances.

The petition before the court

AIDCRPC, represented by senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose, sought directions after its 9 July written request for about 75 people to hold a stationary, three-hour protest—no march, tents, or road occupation—drew no formal reply. The group presses for inclusion of Dalit Christians within the Scheduled Castes framework.

Counsel told the court police had orally indicated on 4 August that permission would not be granted, without a written order or alternative venue. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, for Delhi Police, said the force would decide the application on Saturday and communicate the decision. He also flagged that:

• organisers had not obtained no-objection certificates from local authorities
• prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS are in force ahead of Independence Day
• the Supreme Court is already examining whether Jantar Mantar should remain the capital's designated protest site
• crowd size can swell far beyond what organisers claim ("When 75 becomes 75 thousand, we don't know")

The High Court disposed of the petition after recording that police would decide, without ordering grant or refusal of permission.

CJP's line: re-open India Gate first

Das framed the High Court remarks as a threat to the only remaining designated site. In posts carried by Hindustan Times, Times of India, and Outlook India, he wrote that before any move to take Jantar Mantar away, authorities should restore India Gate as a place where citizens can protest peacefully.

CJP led the July student agitation at Jantar Mantar over the NEET-UG paper-leak row that ended with the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. On 20 July, a proposed march toward Parliament turned chaotic; police used lathi charge and tear gas. Multiple outlets note that backdrop when covering Friday's hearing.

Delhi Police had earlier stated that Jantar Mantar is the designated protest site and that demonstrations there need prior permission—language New Delhi DCP Devesh Kumar Mahla also used when explaining why India Gate is not treated as a protest venue.

Supreme Court already in the picture

Separately, a Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi (as reported across outlets; some name the third judge as Mohan) on Monday issued notices on a PIL by Satish Chand Kaushik seeking an alternative to Jantar Mantar, citing disruption to residents and essential services. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was asked to take instructions. That matter remains pending.

What is verified — and what is not

Verified across multiple outlets (7 August 2026):

• Justice Amit Mahajan's oral observations questioning Jantar Mantar as a central-city protest site
• AIDCRPC's plea for 10 August permission; court disposed it after police undertook to decide Saturday
• ASG Chetan Sharma's submissions on NOCs, Section 163 BNSS, Independence Day security, and the pending SC PIL
• Saurav Das / CJP "HANDS OFF Jantar Mantar" response the same day

Not established in these reports:

• any final High Court order shutting Jantar Mantar
• any formal Centre decision to de-notify the site
• police's Saturday decision on the AIDCRPC application (not yet published at time of writing)

Bottom line

Friday's hearing did not erase Jantar Mantar from the protest map. It did put the site's future under sharper judicial and political light—High Court oral scepticism, a pending Supreme Court PIL, Independence Day security orders, and an immediate CJP defence of the only designated venue left after India Gate.