Ramlila Maidan, one of three newly designated protest venues in Delhi, presents organisers with both logistical and financial hurdles — the ground carries no open slots for roughly the next ten weeks, and reservation fees can run above Rs 1 lakh when availability does return.

According to those with knowledge of the matter, the 12-acre venue — with a capacity of 50,000 — has available dates only on 29, 30, and 31 December of this year, with the daily hire fee set at Rs 50,000 and a refundable security deposit of Rs 55,000 required at the time of booking. According to a spokesperson, the total cost for a single-day reservation — taxes included — works out to Rs 1.21 lakh.

According to municipal authorities, a designated section of the grounds is available for demonstrations and public gatherings, though that area accommodates no more than 150 people at a time. Venue access falls under the authority of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's horticulture department, which handles approval for such bookings. Approval from the civic body for any such application hinges on receiving clearance from Delhi Police first.

A standing order dated 11 October, issued under the authority of Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, removed Jantar Mantar from the list of approved protest venues and placed Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground in East Delhi in its stead for public demonstrations. An updated set of protest guidelines covering all three venues will be released by Delhi Police through a separate document, according to the order.

Demonstrators have noted that booking Ramlila Maidan for a rally or community gathering carries fees that many organisations and resident groups find difficult to meet. The location at Jantar Mantar carried no such fee requirement, and one official noted that allowing protest use without a charge would cost the civic body a minimum of Rs 50,000 each day.

Municipal authorities pointed out that the venue is already reserved for a string of upcoming events, with celebrations such as Dussehra and Diwali set to take place over the coming weeks. The plot, per official accounts, falls within a densely active commercial zone, positioned close to three hospital facilities and the administrative headquarters of the municipal corporations.

During the colonial era, the area extended well past Ajmeri Gate, with the land now occupied by Kamla Market falling within its boundaries. Whenever the neighbourhood hosts a large gathering, authorities noted, Asaf Ali Road is converted from two-way to one-way operation, with vehicles heading toward Deshbandhu Gupta Road redirected along the parallel route of Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. Capacity on both corridors has been stretched by years of heavy use and incremental encroachment.

Traffic along the route to ITO backed up for roughly four kilometres during a BJP event in 2014, an occurrence that drew notice partly because it fell on a Sunday — a day when roads in that corridor would typically see lighter use — according to one official with knowledge of the matter.

The maidan's past, as those familiar with the site have long pointed out, is rooted in its relationship with water. Prior to 1930, the site held a water body that was subsequently drained and graded to accommodate Ramlila performances. Rooted in a 1932 custom that has carried forward without interruption, the venue draws its identity from that enduring practice.

Following independence, the locality took shape in 1951 as a planned settlement intended to offer economic footing to those who had crossed over from Pakistan. Over time, that venue drew political gatherings with notable regularity.

Mookerjee's push for the full absorption of Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union took the form of a satyagraha he set in motion during 1952 — a campaign that later generations within the BJP would point to as a foundational thread in the party's ideological fabric. During both 1956 and 1957, Nehru — then holding the country's top executive office — drew crowds to the maidan for public gatherings he led from the podium.

Constructed in 1962 to accommodate a public ceremony marking Queen Elizabeth II's visit to India, the platform was designed as a lasting fixture rather than a temporary installation. Two gatherings at this location marked distinct moments in the political calendar — a rally where Indira Gandhi spoke following the 1971 war with Pakistan, and a public assembly convened on 26 November 1974 to mark the visit of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

On 25 June 1975 — the day India's Emergency took effect — a rally at the ground brought both Jayaprakash Narayan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee onto the platform to address those assembled. Kejriwal's oath of office as chief minister was administered at that very venue in 2013.