A group led by CPI(ML)-Liberation general-secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, activist Yogendra Yadav, and lawyer Prashant Bhushan gathered at Jantar Mantar on 25 September, calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down. By the time they arrived, the demonstration area had been cordoned off and access restricted.
Routes approaching Jantar Mantar had been closed off entirely. Officers took up positions at the barricades, and the Rapid Action Force was also present on the ground.
Access routes to the venue were blocked on the day of the rally, with individuals attempting to enter subjected to identity checks and questioning. Bhattacharya stated that Jantar Mantar had largely lost its character as a venue for public assembly and now resembled a police installation, a development that, in his view, posed concerns for civil society movements and peaceful gatherings planned in the future. Security infrastructure at the site had reportedly been reinforced following protests by a student and youth movement linked to the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). Security measures have been put in place across the whole zone.
The Delhi High Court raised concerns in August about Jantar Mantar being used as a venue for demonstrations. Justice Amit Mahajan remarked that the city ought not to be subjected to unnecessary delays, while presiding over a petition brought before the court by the All India Dalit Christian Rights Protection Committee. That remark followed a Supreme Court order dated 8 August, which designated Ramlila Maidan rather than Jantar Mantar as the principal venue for public demonstrations.
Situated in the heart of Delhi, Jantar Mantar stands within close proximity to the parliamentary precinct. Over the past thirty years, streets and public thoroughfares have served as a primary arena for civic demonstration and political expression. Demonstrators have gathered on a thoroughfare bearing the name of the 18th-century astronomical monument Jantar Mantar, which stands directly across from it. Demonstrations in Delhi were previously staged at the Boat Club grounds.
The location holds tangible political relevance: addresses made there feed directly into parliamentary proceedings, and lawmakers can reach the surrounding streets within minutes. No formal designation has been issued making Jantar Mantar an official protest venue, yet longstanding administrative convention has gradually conferred that function upon it. A standing order from Delhi Police, dating back to 2003, designated Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Maidan as approved locations for demonstrations, gatherings, and marches.
Visitors arriving at Jantar Mantar via the Delhi Metro can alight at Janpath, the closest stop to the site. Barricades have been placed and officers deployed at the exit leading towards Jantar Mantar via gate number two. Security checks and questioning of individuals are heightened during days when demonstrations take place.
Two layers of barriers are positioned along the curved stretch of Jantar Mantar Lane, shortly before the primary demonstration area. Ahead of the CJP demonstration, officers were deployed in considerable numbers at the venue, accompanied by equipment for screening items brought in by attendees. Individuals who passed inspection were permitted to continue, though the corridor was shut entirely on 25 September.
Parliament Street offers an alternative route of entry. Officers stand guard behind barricades at the intersection where Tolstoy Marg meets Parliament Street. The primary road leading to Jantar Mantar has been blocked off. A footpath running beside the Parliament Street police station and extending towards Kerala Bhavan serves as an alternate route. Roadblocks had been erected at two locations along the route on 25 September, preventing access to the primary demonstration area.
Prominent figures and civil society representatives widely adopted the platform during the CJP movement. Under ordinary circumstances, law enforcement leaves the corridor open, as commuters rely on it to reach their workplaces. One additional route to Jantar Mantar begins near the Kerala Bhavan entrance. Barricades that had been put up by police outside Kerala Bhavan during the CJP demonstration were subsequently taken down. Entering via this pathway provides access to the JDU office, though progressing beyond that point is considerably harder.
Neha Bora, national president of the All India Students' Association, noted that throughout the anti-CAA movement, demonstrations had extended along the stretch from Jantar Mantar to Kerala Bhavan and UP Bhavan, drawing participants from a range of organisations. Following the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, barricades have remained in place around Jantar Mantar. The Supreme Court subsequently issued an order restricting demonstrations to designated venues such as Jantar Mantar or Ramlila Maidan.
Over time, a formal set of regulations took shape around Jantar Mantar, requiring those wishing to hold a demonstration to seek written authorisation at least ten days beforehand. Law enforcement requested rosters of both volunteers and notable attendees. The individuals involved additionally request the identities of personnel assigned to their protection detail.
Organising demonstrations at Jantar Mantar has become increasingly restricted, even as the Supreme Court ruled in July 2018 that such gatherings could not be entirely banned, instructing authorities to develop guidelines that balance the rights of those wishing to protest with the interests of nearby residents. In that same year, standing order 10 issued by Delhi Police designated Jantar Mantar as a venue for gatherings of up to 1,000 demonstrators. Only Ramlila Maidan has been designated as an approved venue for gatherings of greater size.
Agricultural workers from various parts of the country applied for authorisation to gather at Jantar Mantar or Ramlila Maidan during the farming agitation. Farmers encamped at the Delhi-Haryana border for approximately a year after the federal government withheld permission for them to proceed into the city.
Neha Bora stated that demonstrations represent a constitutionally protected avenue for citizens whose fundamental rights have been infringed upon, and that mechanisms have been established to circumvent this entitlement while maintaining the outward appearance of preserving it.
The manner in which law enforcement handled the demonstration on 25 September drew widespread condemnation. Upon noticing that demonstrators had begun speaking with journalists, officers moved in small clusters to detain individuals from the assembled crowd and escort them onto waiting buses. Each time a vehicle reached capacity, another was deployed to take its place, with officers maintaining the operation throughout. Broadcast reports indicate that dispersing demonstrations through this approach has become a routine practice.
Events at Jantar Mantar typically unfold without disruption. When a demonstrator raises their voice in chants while addressing journalists, officers move through the gathered crowd, detain that person, and escort them onto a waiting police vehicle.
