Delhi high court declines to stop CJP’s Connaught Place protest, records police assurance on regulation

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday declined to pass an order restraining the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its founder Abhijeet Dipke from holding a protest at Connaught Place on Friday, while taking on record Delhi Police’s assurance that all possible legal measures would be taken to regulate the gathering.

The court was hearing a plea filed by Anil Kumar Gupta, a Palika Bazar street vendor, seeking to prevent protests in Connaught Place and other areas of central Delhi, citing concerns over traffic disruption, business losses and livelihood.

Delhi Police told the court that it had taken steps to regulate the proposed protest and would take “all possible steps” in accordance with the law. The court recorded the assurance and posted the matter for November 3.

The plea sought directions restraining CJP from holding any agitation, demonstration, march or gathering at Central Park in Connaught Place or at any other location that is not a designated protest venue.

The matter was mentioned before a bench led by acting chief justice Nitin W Sambre by senior advocate Sacchin Puri, who sought immediate intervention, arguing that the protest could disrupt normal life, cause severe traffic bottlenecks and lead to financial losses for shop owners in central Delhi.