The Delhi High Court on Friday (October 9) refused to urgently hear a plea filed by the Indian Youth Congress challenging the Delhi Police’s decision to not allow the protests at Jantar Mantar on October 10, seeking the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Underlining that there was no urgency in the matter, a two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Sanjay Sharma posted the case for further hearing on Monday, October 12, this year.
“There is no urgency. We will hear it on Monday,” the division bench said while adjourning the case filed by Uday Bhanu Chib, the national president of IYC.
Speaking to LawMic, senior advocate Sanjoy Ghose said, “We have challenged the Delhi Police’s Standard Operating Protocol (SOP). Protests will happen after October 10 as well.”
Ghose also pointed out how their petition had sought permission to protest from October 1 to October 25 this year. All eyes are now on the Delhi HC as it takes up the matter for hearing on Monday.
By way of his petition, the IYC leader had asked the police for permission to peacefully organise a protest at Jantar Mantar, given concerns of transparency, accountability, and functioning of the constitutional institutions. In his September 25, 2026 application seeking permission for the protest, he had argued that the right to protest peacefully without arms exists, along with his freedom of speech and expression.
Chib had also given an undertaking that the demonstration would remain peaceful and disciplined, and that no prohibited articles would be carried. He also said that there would be no obstruction of traffic, public movement or emergency services.
However, on October 1, the Delhi Police informed the IYC national president that his request had been rejected.
This is not the only case related to the Jantar Mantar protests, which was refused an urgent hearing today.
Nadeem Khan’s case
Social activist Nadeem Khan, who is the national secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, had also approached the court today seeking permission to mention his plea to travel outside Delhi, in light of his illegal detention.
Advocate Shahrukh Alam, who represented Khan, drew the court’s attention to the Delhi police going to people’s homes without any authority of law, and detaining them.
“This is completely illegal and arbitrary,” Alam argued while pointing out that around the first round of the CEC protests, which commenced on October 2, the police came to Khan’s home without any order and prevented him from leaving.
Not only that. The police also ended up having tea and lunch at his home, following which they had been calling him every day to check up on him. Owing to the harassment suffered by him, Khan had booked his tickets for Kolkata, West Bengal.
However, the court refused to list his plea urgently and told him to come back next week.
