A high-voltage constitutional and legal battle unfolded at the Supreme Court of India over the extensive police clampdown during the Cockroach Janata Party demonstration in the national capital. The fallout from the agitation at Jantar Mantar reached the highest judicial forum, attracting an unprecedented turnout of advocates that tested the physical capacity of the courtrooms and triggered an immediate reshuffle of hearing arrangements.
Overcrowded Proceedings Force Change of Courtroom
The matter was originally scheduled to be taken up inside Court Number 18. However, an overwhelming assembly of around 200 lawyers thronged the room, making standard legal proceedings practically impossible due to acute spatial constraints. Recognizing the logistical challenge, authorities promptly reassigned the hearing to Court Number 5. Approximately 200 advocates regrouped in the newly assigned courtroom, awaiting the arrival of the bench to present a volley of urgent pleas.
Sharp Arguments Between Solicitor General and Petitioners
When proceedings got underway, the courtroom witnessed intense legal sparring. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared on behalf of the government, accompanied by senior officials from the Delhi Police establishment. On the opposing side, senior advocate Kapil Sibal spearheaded the legal offensive for the petitioners, supported by senior advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan, Meneka Guruswamy, and Vrinda Grover.
Justice Bagchi laid down the procedural sequence for the hearing, clarifying that the bench would first listen to the submissions of the Solicitor General before extending an opportunity to the petitioners. The bench assured Tushar Mehta that the state would be granted sufficient time to present its comprehensive response to the allegations raised in the multiple applications.
Flurry of Petitions: Metro Closures to Habeas Corpus
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal methodically took the court through a wide range of petitions filed in connection with the agitation. Among these were pleas submitted by M.A. Baby, Meneka Guruswamy, Manoj Jha, and Aman Sharma. In addition, the SCORA Association approached the court challenging alleged police excesses and physical mistreatment meted out to practicing advocates.
Sibal drew specific judicial attention to the sudden closure of 45 Delhi Metro stations across the capital, arguing that restricting mass transit amounted to contempt of established legal directives. Mehta placed the SCORA Association petition before the bench, while the court noted that Meneka Guruswamy had moved habeas corpus applications seeking the immediate production of detained political figures, legal professionals, and journalists rounded up during the demonstrations.
Contempt Allegations Leveled Against Delhi Police Commissioner
A crucial petition before the apex court seeks contempt action directly against Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar. The plea alleges that law enforcement personnel unleashed arbitrary violence upon unarmed and defenseless citizens on Saturday, committing direct violations of binding Supreme Court guidelines on protest management.
The petition further asserts that multiple police officers on duty conspicuously failed to display their official name tags, obscuring their personal identities during field operations. Serious allegations were also placed on record regarding male police personnel allegedly manhandling and misbehaving with female demonstrators during the dispersals.
Mass Detentions and High-Profile Political Figures
The demonstration at Jantar Mantar had been organized to demand the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In response, Delhi Police executed a massive sweep across the capital on Saturday, taking roughly 3,000 individuals into preventive custody. Among those detained were four former chief ministers: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, and Left stalwarts Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar.
While the vast majority of political leaders were released by late Saturday night, prominent CJP organizers Abhijeet Dipke, Sourav Das, and Ashutosh Ranka, along with YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, remained in custody longer. Police released Dhruv Rathee late on Friday night, with department sources warning that fresh legal measures would follow should he attempt to reach Jantar Mantar again.
Invocation of BNSS Provisions and Magistrate Production
Legal authorities invoked Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita against several CJP workers. Section 126 pertains to security measures for keeping the peace, while Section 170 empowers police to make preventive arrests to forestall the commission of cognizable offenses. Both statutory provisions are routinely used by administrative authorities when there is an apprehension of public disturbance, although specific grounds for each individual detained were not detailed.
On Sunday morning, CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Sourav Das were brought before an executive magistrate at the Delhi Cantonment police station. Ratna Singh, head of the legal department of the party, confirmed that following proceedings before the ACM court, all three leaders were formally released. Singh stated that senior police personnel had notified the legal team early Sunday about the 9:00 AM production, allowing defense counsels to attend the proceedings in person.
Journalist Associations Condemn Press Harassment
The detention and alleged harassment of reporters covering the protest demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation prompted strong condemnations from four major media bodies. The Press Club of India, Indian Women's Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, and the Delhi chapter of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists issued a joint press statement on Saturday voicing deep concern.
The media bodies highlighted that several reporters were taken into custody despite producing valid press accreditation cards on the spot. The joint statement also noted that personal mobile phones and newsgathering equipment belonging to journalists were confiscated by the police, representing an unacceptable disruption of legitimate professional duties.
Agitation Expands to Shivaji Park in Mumbai
In the wake of police action in Delhi, the protest movement began spreading to other parts of the country. Ajinkya Shinde, who has been leading the agitation alongside Abhijeet Dipke, called for a demonstration in Mumbai. He announced that protesters would assemble peacefully at the Shivaji Park T-junction at 4:00 PM on Sunday.
Shinde sharply criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing the central government of stifling democratic rights by detaining thousands of citizens in Delhi and across India. He stated that the government made a serious miscalculation by arresting key leaders and prohibiting public assemblies, reiterating the core demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
Transport Resumes as Rail and Metro Services Reopen
The widespread disruption experienced by commuters over the weekend has started to ease. On Saturday, Northern Railway had cancelled numerous mail and express trains scheduled to arrive at New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4:00 AM and 2:00 PM, affecting trains that departed their originating stations after 2:00 PM on October 9. The measures were instituted following intelligence inputs and traffic advisories predicting severe gridlocks near railway hubs. However, railway authorities announced that all scheduled passenger trains would resume normal operations on Sunday, October 11.
Concurrently, Delhi Metro authorities reopened entry and exit gates across all stations, restoring ordinary passenger transit. On the roadways, Delhi Traffic Police issued a late-night advisory indicating possible traffic diversions at 30 critical intersections starting from 6:00 AM on Sunday, particularly around Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Mandi House, and Patel Chowk. Enhanced security arrangements were established along the Outer Circle of Connaught Place, with extensive police deployments maintaining strict vigil to avert any untoward incidents.
