Delhi Police denies permission for CJP protest; SC says Metro cannot be shut down completely

New Delhi: Delhi Police has denied permission for a protest called by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and student organisations at Jantar Mantar on October 10, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

A senior police officer said the application for the protest was submitted at short notice and that the organisers had violated rules during an earlier demonstration.

At a press conference on Friday, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi range) Nupur Prasad said the police had received an application from Saurav Das, co-convenor of the CJP, seeking permission to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar.

“The intimation was considered, and it was found that it was given at very short notice,” Prasad said, adding that the prescribed procedure required organisers to submit an intimation 10 days before a protest.

She also alleged that the CJP had failed to follow lawful directions and honour its undertakings when it was granted permission to hold an earlier protest.
“To prevent a law and order situation and to maintain public order, the permission has not been granted this time,” she said.

Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which empowers authorities to issue preventive orders in specified circumstances, is in force in the New Delhi area, Prasad said. She warned that violations would invite legal action.

Supreme Court opposes complete Metro shutdown
The Supreme Court on Friday said Delhi Metro services should not be shut down completely on October 10 amid concerns over the proposed protests.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana objected to the proposed closure of Metro stations as a preventive measure to stop protesters from reaching the national capital.

The bench observed that an entire city could not be shut down on account of protests, warning that such drastic restrictions would cause considerable hardship to ordinary commuters.

The court's intervention comes amid heightened security preparations ahead of the planned demonstration. Police said more than 25,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, had been deployed at various locations across Delhi.

Protest seeks CEC's resignation
The CJP and participating student organisations, including the All India Students' Association (AISA), have called for Kumar's resignation and criminal proceedings against him over allegations relating to the conduct of elections.

Their demands also include freezing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, halting upcoming elections, restoring the January 2025 voters' list and ordering an independent inquiry. They have also called for the repeal of the 2023 law governing appointments to the Election Commission and the establishment of an independent selection process.

The controversy surrounding the Chief Election Commissioner intensified after The Indian Express reported on September 25 that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR of electoral rolls. According to the report, they had objected that the decisions were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.

The CJP had earlier led an agitation over the NEET paper leak in July, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The group is now seeking to sustain public pressure over its allegations against the Election Commission.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that he and his family would join the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10.

“I appeal to everyone, to the people of the entire country, to gather at Jantar Mantar in maximum numbers. This is not about one person or party; it is about the nation,” Kejriwal told reporters.
“I will go, my entire family will go, and all of you should go too,” he added.

(With PTI, Bar and Bench inputs)