SC Declines Urgent Plea Against Central Park Closure Ahead Of CJP’s Tiranga March

The Supreme Court on Friday declined an urgent hearing on a plea challenging the New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) decision to shut Central Park in Connaught Place ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march, observing that it hoped “better sense will prevail” among all concerned.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi acknowledged the difficulties the closure could cause small shopkeepers and their families, noting that the right to protest, the maintenance of law and order and traders’ livelihoods were interconnected concerns.

“We hope better sense will prevail on everyone. Small shopkeepers earn their livelihood during these days. We know the hardship and difficulty entire families will face,” the bench said.

Justice Bagchi said the court could exercise its constitutional jurisdiction if the restrictions resulted in business losses. “If there's loss of business, we will exercise our powers under Constitutional jurisdiction. Let's cross that bridge when it comes,” he said.

The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that the NDMC had issued directions late Thursday night to close Central Park, effectively restricting access to businesses in the area. The civic body had announced that the park would remain closed on October 16 and 17 for administrative reasons.

The bench indicated that the plea could be listed for hearing on October 26 or 27.

CJP Says Tiranga March Will Go Ahead

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has called on citizens to assemble at Central Park with the national flag at 5 pm on Friday. The party announced the march after its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were arrested for allegedly entering Jantar Mantar, which had been denotified as a designated protest site, and raising slogans demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

Das and Ranka were subsequently remanded to five days of judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail.

The party has said it will proceed with the march despite the park’s closure and heightened security restrictions.

In a post on X, Dipke rejected allegations that the party was promoting anarchy and accused the government of restricting democratic rights. He argued that peaceful protests did not cause business losses, alleging that disruptions arose when authorities shut public spaces, restricted movement and suspended internet services.

Dipke also defended the party’s commitment to non-violence, saying it had organised protests in several cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Nagpur. He said he had chosen not to retaliate after allegedly being assaulted in Jaipur.

“We are not asking for privileges or special treatment. We are simply asking to exercise the rights that belong to every citizen of this Republic, irrespective of which party is in power,” Dipke wrote.

He urged political parties and civil society organisations to join the demonstration, setting aside ideological differences.

“If the right to vote is not saved, democracy will not be saved,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.

The CJP has linked its campaign to alleged irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Dipke claimed that more than 13 crore voters had been deleted, arguing that such changes could affect electoral outcomes. These claims and allegations of deliberate manipulation have not been established by the court.

Security Tightened In Connaught Place

The proposed march comes amid a standoff between the CJP and Delhi Police over protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise.

Delhi Police has maintained that Connaught Place is not a designated protest site. A senior police officer said demonstrations could be held at Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground or CBD Ground after obtaining the requisite permissions.

Security has been tightened around Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar, with paramilitary personnel deployed at strategic locations. Police have also erected barricades and are regulating the movement of protesters and commuters to prevent any untoward incident.

The NDMC announced the Central Park closure on Thursday, a day after the CJP publicised its proposed march. The park is located within Connaught Place’s inner circle.

The party’s agitation began in Mumbai on October 2 before shifting to Delhi. On October 10, Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained at the airport after arriving from Mumbai ahead of a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar. On October 13, CJP members entered the barricaded Jantar Mantar site carrying the national flag and were detained.

Opposition parties and student organisations have separately protested against the SIR exercise. INDIA bloc MPs marched towards the Election Commission headquarters on October 6 but were stopped by police barricades. Opposition leaders subsequently met President Droupadi Murmu on October 9 to raise their concerns.

The proposed Connaught Place march has brought the dispute over electoral-roll revision, public demonstrations and restrictions on protest sites in the national capital into renewed focus.