📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Ministry of Women and Child Development
Politics
Delhi’s Jantar Mantar De‑Notified, Opening New Protest Venues Amid Dispute
✍️ India Today
🗓 16 Oct 2026, 04:31 AM
👁 8
The Delhi government has removed Jantar Mantar’s protest‑site status, citing a need to shift demonstrations to alternative locations, sparking a debate over the right to protest and venue allocation.
The administration of the National Capital Territory announced on Tuesday that Jantar Mantar will no longer be classified as a designated protest zone. The decision, taken under the Delhi Police (Amendment) Rules, aims to disperse large gatherings that have repeatedly disrupted traffic and public order.
Officials said the move is intended to protect the historic monument and to encourage demonstrators to use alternative sites that can accommodate crowds without impeding city services. A list of suggested venues, including open grounds near the Yamuna and community halls in South Delhi, has been circulated to civil society groups.
Opposition parties and several activist organisations have criticised the denotification, arguing that it curtails the constitutional right to peaceful assembly. They contend that the new venues lack the visibility and symbolic significance of Jantar Mantar, which has served as a focal point for protests since the 1990s.
The Delhi government has invited stakeholders to a consultative meeting next week to resolve the impasse and finalize the allocation of new protest areas. Meanwhile, police have warned that any unauthorized gathering at Jantar Mantar could result in legal action.
The episode underscores the growing tension between authorities seeking to manage urban disruption and citizens asserting their democratic freedoms in the capital.
Officials said the move is intended to protect the historic monument and to encourage demonstrators to use alternative sites that can accommodate crowds without impeding city services. A list of suggested venues, including open grounds near the Yamuna and community halls in South Delhi, has been circulated to civil society groups.
Opposition parties and several activist organisations have criticised the denotification, arguing that it curtails the constitutional right to peaceful assembly. They contend that the new venues lack the visibility and symbolic significance of Jantar Mantar, which has served as a focal point for protests since the 1990s.
The Delhi government has invited stakeholders to a consultative meeting next week to resolve the impasse and finalize the allocation of new protest areas. Meanwhile, police have warned that any unauthorized gathering at Jantar Mantar could result in legal action.
The episode underscores the growing tension between authorities seeking to manage urban disruption and citizens asserting their democratic freedoms in the capital.