Plea in Supreme Court challenges Centre's bar on Jantar Mantar protest zone in Delhi

Petitioner Swathi Singh says alternative venues in Burari and CBD lie far from central Delhi, while no standard procedure governs access to the new protest grounds

A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday challenging the Centre's decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

The petition filed by advocate Swathi Singh contended that the government decision severely curtailed and violated the fundamental right to free speech and expression, including the peaceful assembly of people in a democratic society.

Singh argued that Jantar Mantar had always been synonymous with protests that enabled people to voice their angst against the authorities and draw attention for redress.

According to the petitioner, there was no justification behind the government's decision to designate Ramlila Maidan, the Burari Ground and the CBD Ground as alternative protest sites. While Ramlila Ground is about 4km from Jantar Mantar, Burari and CBD are over 21km and 12km away.

Critics believe shifting the protest sites to faraway locations would dilute agitations.

The petition said the alternative sites were located in polluted and landfill areas that could pose a risk to the health and safety of thousands of people who would gather for demonstrations.

Singh submitted that the government's "arbitrary" decision had altered the existing arrangements for democratic protests in the national

capital.

The petitioner also underscored that the government had not put in place a standard operating procedure (SOP) to govern access to the newly designated venues.

Citizens cannot plan any protest in the absence of an SOP for the new venues, she argued.

The petition further contended that the top court had earlier rejected the idea of the Ramlila Maidan as an alternative protest site.