Appearing before the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, police authorities disclosed that Jantar Mantar had been removed from its status as an approved protest venue, with three substitute locations put forward for demonstrations in line with directions handed down by the Supreme Court on accommodating peaceful public gatherings.

Arguing before a single-judge bench presided over by Justice Amit Mahajan, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma — representing Delhi Police — told the court that the process of identifying alternate venues had followed the directions set out in a recent Supreme Court order, with Sharma noting on behalf of the Centre that the apex court's instruction to locate and designate suitable sites had been carried out accordingly.

A petition lodged by Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib — contesting the Delhi Police's move to withhold authorisation for a demonstration targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar — formed the backdrop against which the submission was placed before the court.

The removal of Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest venues had, in ASG Sharma's submission to the court, rendered the petition without any remaining legal purpose. Three locations — Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground, and CBD Ground, all within east Delhi — have been set aside as approved venues for demonstrations.

Luthra, acting as counsel for Chib in his capacity as a senior advocate, put forward the position that the remaining prayers in the petition were still open to be heard, and asked the court to issue notice on those grounds. Counsel for the Delhi Police put forward a position against the court issuing any notice in the matter. Three of the prayers put forward in the petition drew a notice order from Justice Mahajan once oral arguments had concluded.

A ruling handed down by the Supreme Court just days earlier had directed relevant authorities to explore the possibility of setting apart well-equipped locations — furnished with basic amenities and infrastructure — where lawful, peaceful demonstrations could be held within the national capital.

A three-judge panel of the Supreme Court — comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana — issued an order dated 9 October stating that the time had come for those taking part in lawful protests to be guaranteed access to fundamental facilities. Pointing to the need for proper infrastructure capacity, the court called on the competent authority to weigh the possibility of identifying and designating alternative sites, then arrive at an appropriate course of action.

Those remarks arose as the Supreme Court took up the matter of transit curbs — covering both Metro and rail services in Delhi — put in place before a scheduled demonstration at Jantar Mantar.

A filing by the IYC took shape after Delhi Police withheld authorisation for a planned rally targeting CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The filing states that a request submitted on 25 September sought authorisation for a peaceful gathering of roughly 100 to 150 participants, yet the response — delivered on 1 October — withheld that authorisation on the very day the group had originally planned to assemble.

Planned rallies by the INDIA Bloc formed one strand of a broader push against the Chief Election Commissioner, with the alliance directing its activity toward the row over electoral roll revisions carried out under the Special Intensive Revision process.