INDIA Bloc Plans Delhi Protest Over Election Commissioner Allegations Amid Legal Scrutiny of Venue Rules

NEW DELHI — The INDIA bloc is set to organise a demonstration at New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, November 1, pressing for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities linked to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The gathering marks the first large-scale protest at Ramlila Maidan following the Delhi Police’s October decision to strip Jantar Mantar of its status as a designated demonstration venue. The October 11 standing order prompted a legal challenge, leading the Supreme Court to issue notices to the Centre and Delhi Police on October 15.

This relocation has revived legal debates over whether financial costs and geographic distance infringe upon democratic expression, particularly as Ramlila Maidan sits six kilometres from Parliament compared to Jantar Mantar’s two-kilometre proximity. Alternative designated sites are located significantly further away, with the Shahdara CBD ground situated 14 kilometres from Parliament and the Burari ground roughly 23 kilometres distant, alongside daily venue booking fees ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

Legal experts clarify that neither the Constitution nor statutory laws mandate designated protest sites, which function merely as administrative tools to manage public order. Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat noted that while such locations aim to balance assembly rights with traffic management, sites placed excessively far from the seat of power defeat the core objective of public demonstrations.

Senior Advocate Nipun Saxena explained that a designated venue is not a legal prerequisite for holding a protest, emphasizing that the right to assemble remains independent of administrative zones. Saxena referenced the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan v. Union of India, which restored Jantar Mantar as a protest site after objections were raised that Ramlila Maidan functioned as a commercial venue charging prohibitive daily fees.

Farasat warned that imposing steep booking charges creates severe barriers for low-income participants, asserting that peaceful demonstration rights must not depend on financial capacity. Saxena echoed these concerns, stating that the denotification of a single site does not nullify the fundamental freedom of citizens to assemble peacefully, provided no local prohibitory orders restrict the specific geographic area.