Delhi High Court on Thursday agreed to hear a petition seeking to stop the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) Tiranga hoisting protest at Connaught Place's Central Park on Friday.
Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre asked the counsel to return at 2:30 pm as the Supreme Court is set to hear a batch of petitions related to SIR protests. Filed by Anil Kumar Gupta, a licensed street vendor at Palika Bazar, the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has sought to prevent the gathering announced for 5 PM on October 16, as Central Park is situated directly above the underground market.
The petitioner has alleged that protests and prolonged traffic blockades have repeatedly disrupted access to markets, causing vendors and other small traders to lose their daily earnings.
Abhijeet Dipke on Wednesday called 'patriots' to reach Central Park and hoist the national flag as a protest after his two fellow CJP leaders, Saurav Das and Ashotosh Ranka, were sent to 5-day judicial custody over breach of the peace bond they had signed to keep peace.
Das and Ranka on Tuesday sneaked in at Jantar Mantar through the JDU office with a tricolour in their hands, a day after the site was de-notified by the Home Ministry for protests. 14 CJP leaders and supporters were detained. 12 accompanying them were released the next day; they were presented before the Executive Magistrate, who remanded them into 5-day judicial custody.
Ahead of the planned protest, Delhi Police has also stepped up efforts to plan a security strategy and traffic management. Top officials of the Delhi Police are reportedly set to hold a meeting under the leadership of Delhi Commissioner of Police Anurag Kumar.
The Delhi Police have already formally written to the Home Ministry seeking an extension to the deployment of the 273 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) till October 20, citing intel inputs over further escalation in protests by CJP and other organisations around Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission of India.