Jantar Mantar's standing as an approved demonstration venue in the national capital came to an end through a Delhi Police decision that simultaneously designated three other locations where public protests may be held. The directive was issued under Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar's authority and formalised as a standing order on October 11.
Three venues have been allocated under the new designation: Ramlila Maidan in the heart of Delhi, Burari ground to the city's north, and CBD ground within the Shahdara district of East Delhi.
A panel assembled under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs put forward proposals for relocating public demonstrations to alternate sites, with the aim of upholding citizens' right to gather and protest, and the decision flows from those proposals. Delhi Police announced through an official release that Jantar Mantar has been removed from its list of approved protest locations, in line with the panel's formal recommendations. A directive issued subsequently amended portions of the standing order that had taken effect on 28 April 2022.
Separate guidance documents outlining standard operating procedures for holding protests at each of the three newly designated venues are to be released by police at a later date.
Visible police deployment across Delhi intensified around the time of the decision, with public gatherings directed at the Election Commission of India having been announced beforehand. Opposition parties grouped under the INDIA bloc had arranged a procession toward the Supreme Court building, seeking to draw attention to what they described as procedural flaws in the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls and calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down from his post.
Jantar Mantar remained under the watch of security personnel even after the event shifted to a different location. Physical barriers were erected along the roads leading into the area while officers stationed themselves at key intersections, directing foot traffic and intercepting gatherings that had not received official approval.
Jantar Mantar's adjacent roadway became the designated venue for authorised public gatherings within the city in 1993, displacing the Boat Club lawns — a grassy area beside India Gate that has since been incorporated into the precinct now known as Kartavya Path — from that role. That shift in policy came about after a notable gathering of farmers under Mahendra Singh Tikait's leadership converged on central Delhi in 1988, placing enough pressure on officials to reconsider which parts of the city could host large-scale public demonstrations.
Jantar Mantar drew gatherings tied to political organising, public advocacy, and community grievances around social and economic concerns across the decades. Under the revised directive, three alternative areas of the city have been assigned to host such assemblies going forward.