On Monday, Jantar Mantar was de-notified as a designated protest venue, and three other sites across the city were designated for demonstrations.
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The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Centre on a plea challenging the de-notification of Delhi's Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, saying that the law would take its course if the response was unsatisfactory.
On Monday, Jantar Mantar was de-notified as a designated protest venue, and three other sites across the city were designated for demonstrations. They included Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground in north Delhi, and CBD Ground in east Delhi.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued the notice while hearing petitions over alleged voter deletions, police action against protesters, lawyers and journalists and restrictions on public movement.
“We are issuing notice. We are getting a response from them. After the response, if we are not satisfied, the law will follow its course…We are calling upon the State to respond.” Justice Bagchi said, as per Bar and Bench.
CJI Kant said, “We ask you to argue because we have done our homework. We know the points. It requires consideration. That is why we are issuing notice.”
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a protest site was taken on the recommendation of a committtee.
The order, titled “Guidelines for Holding Protests or Demonstrations in Delhi”, stated that the Union ministry of home affairs had set up a committee to “examine alternative proper venues for citizen’s right for organising protest demonstrations in place of the existing ‘designated site’”.
The Delhi Police told the Delhi high court on Tuesday that Jantar Mantar was denotified as a protest site following a Supreme Court order earlier this month.
On October 9, the Supreme Court asked authorities to reconsider Delhi’s decades-old practice of holding protests at Jantar Mantar. It recorded that the Delhi Police commissioner and other competent authorities would consider designating an alternative site with better facilities for people staging peaceful demonstrations.
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