Jantar Mantar is no longer Delhi’s designated protest site. Delhi Police has named three new venues instead: Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi, Burari Ground in North Delhi, and CBD Ground in East Delhi. Here’s what the October 12 order says, how Jantar Mantar became India’s dissent square over three decades, and what organisers need to know now.
Updated: October 14, 2026, 10:45 AM IST
Quick Read
- Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar’s October 12 order removed Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue, on the recommendation of a Home Ministry committee.
- The three replacement venues are Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground; a revised SOP for using them is still awaited.
- Jantar Mantar became a protest site in 1993, survived a 2017 NGT ban, and was protected by a 2018 Supreme Court ruling upholding regulated peaceful protest there.
What changed on October 12
The order came from Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar. It says the Ministry of Home Affairs had set up a committee to find alternative venues where citizens could hold protests and demonstrations. Based on that committee’s recommendations, Jantar Mantar was de-notified, The Tribune reported.
The order also said a detailed, revised standard operating procedure for demonstrations at the three new venues would be issued separately. Two days later, that SOP still hasn’t been published.
Note what de-notification is not. It is not a blanket ban on protesting anywhere in Delhi. It removes Jantar Mantar’s status as the officially designated site. Permission-based protests at other venues remain the legal route — though with the SOP pending, organisers face genuine uncertainty about the process.
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The three new venues
Delhi Police has designated three grounds for protests and demonstrations, as reported by The Tribune:
- Ramlila Maidan, Central Delhi — the historic big-crowd venue. It hosted Jayaprakash Narayan’s 1975 agitation against the Indira Gandhi government and Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement in 2011. This is where Delhi has traditionally sent large gatherings.
- Burari Ground, North Delhi — already used as a containment and protest site in recent agitations.
- CBD Ground, East Delhi — a new entry on the list.
For a party like CJP, which has been agitating at Jantar Mantar against the Election Commission, the shift matters. Jantar Mantar sat steps from Parliament and the power corridors. The new venues are further out.
How Jantar Mantar became protest square
The 18th-century observatory became a symbol of dissent almost by accident. There was no ordinance, no official declaration. In 1993, the tree-lined lane connecting Tolstoy Road to the Ashoka Road roundabout became the one place in New Delhi where Section 144 — the British-era law banning gatherings of more than five people — was simply not imposed, the Indian Express reported. That year, the capital got its dissent square.
The arrangement was formalised a decade later. A Delhi Police standing order of January 31, 2003 set ground rules: no more than 5,000 people, and no vehicles at the venue, The Tribune reported.
The first real shock came in 2017. Residents of Jantar Mantar Road complained to the National Green Tribunal about prolonged protests, noise, garbage and blocked roads. On October 5, 2017, the NGT ordered an end to agitations and loudspeakers at the site and told authorities to shift protesters to Ramlila Maidan.
That order was challenged — and in July 2018 the Supreme Court set aside the blanket ban. The court said a complete ban was not the answer. It affirmed the right to peaceful protest under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, but told the Delhi Police Commissioner to regulate demonstrations: limit participant numbers, mark specific areas, control loudspeakers, prevent long encampments. Delhi Police then issued guidelines allowing protests at Jantar Mantar with restrictions.
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The legal question nobody has answered
Here’s the tension sitting under this week’s order. The 2018 Supreme Court ruling didn’t just allow protests — it directed the police to regulate them so the protest right could survive alongside residents’ rights. The court’s reasoning, in the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan case, was blunt: “Total extinction is not balancing.” Rights of one group could be curtailed to protect another’s — but not wiped out.
The News Mill has flagged the obvious question: can a de-notification order — which removes the designated status entirely — sit comfortably with a ruling that ordered the authorities to permit “at least small groups” to gather there? That question is untested. No court has ruled on it yet.
Until it is, the October 12 order stands as police policy. And the police enforced it within 24 hours: CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka are in Tihar Jail for five days for entering the site the day after de-notification.
What protesters should actually do
Practical guidance, honestly stated:
- Don’t treat Jantar Mantar as available. It is no longer a designated site. Tuesday’s arrests show the police will act.
- Use the designated venues. For big gatherings, Ramlila Maidan is the historic default. Burari Ground and CBD Ground are the newer options.
- Watch for the new SOP. Delhi Police promised a revised procedure for the new venues. Until it lands, the standard route — applying to the local police station or DCP office for permission — is the one that exists. Apply early; don’t assume.
- Keep records. Permission letters, application receipts. If police deny permission, ask for the reason in writing.
The Jantar Mantar story has always been about where citizens can stand to question power. The address has changed before — from Boat Club to Jantar Mantar, after the 1988 Tikait farmers’ agitation forced the first move. Now it changes again. What the Supreme Court said in 2018 still applies in spirit: the question is where protest can happen, not whether it can be erased.
A viral video from the protest site was also fact-checked — see what was real and what wasn’t.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi’s Supreme Court March Today: What We Know
FAQ
Can I still hold a protest at Jantar Mantar?
No — not under the designated-site framework. It was de-notified on October 12, 2026. Going there for a demonstration now risks the same charges CJP’s leaders face: trespass, violating prohibitory orders and breach of peace bonds.
How do I get permission to protest at one of the new venues?
Delhi Police has said a revised SOP for Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground will be issued separately, but it hasn’t been published as of October 14. Until then, apply through the local police station or DCP office for the area, and keep written proof of your application.
Why was Jantar Mantar the protest site for so long?
It started in 1993 with no official declaration — it was simply the one lane in central New Delhi where Section 144 wasn’t imposed. It was close to Parliament, had limited access points (easy for police to control crowds), and grew into a national symbol: Anna Hazare’s 2011 movement and countless farmers’ agitations all passed through it.
