Delhi Police clarified it had no law-and-order objection to Congress’s November 1 rally.
Organisers must secure the land-owning authority’s permission and conclude proceedings by 5 pm.
Overnight stays and marches from Ramlila Maidan to other locations are prohibited.
Delhi Police on Tuesday clarified that it had no objection on law-and-order grounds to the Congress holding a rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, provided organisers meet its conditions and obtain permission from the land-owning authority.
The clarification came after Congress alleged that the Ashok Hotel had withdrawn permission for a separate October 30 event, where INDIA bloc parties planned to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar ahead of the rally.
No Overnight Stays Or Marches Outside Venue
In its communication, police said they had considered an October 5 application seeking a booking no-objection certificate for Ramlila Maidan from October 25 to November 3. The rally is scheduled for November 1 between 10 am and 5 pm.
Police said they had “no objection for the same from law & order point of view”, subject to the stated conditions and prior approval from the land-owning authority.
Organisers must ensure that the rally finishes by 5 pm and that participants do not stay overnight at the ground before or after the event. They must also ensure that no march proceeds to any other location.
The conditions require organisers to prevent violence and disruption of public order, keep the gathering peaceful, follow applicable laws and cooperate with police. Any breach of their undertaking could lead to legal action, the communication said.
Congress Alleges Hotel Withdrew Permission
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said on X that the Ashok Hotel had initially agreed to host the October 30 programme but subsequently denied permission.
He said 21 INDIA bloc parties had planned a “public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar as a curtain raiser” to the November 1 rally over allegations of “vote chori”.
“First they destroy the electoral system, and now they are trying all kinds of tricks to silence those who fight to save our democracy,” Venugopal alleged.
He said the opposition would continue its campaign for Kumar’s removal and threatened demonstrations outside the residences of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi if its programme was blocked.
“If they stop us here, we will go to Amit Shah's house, PM Modi's house, and stage a massive dharna there,” he said.
“But we will fight to the finish, and until our mission is accomplished,” he added.
The proposed events are part of protests by Congress and other opposition parties demanding Kumar’s resignation over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and alleged electoral irregularities.
