Supreme Court Intervenes in Ramlila Maidan Blockade Amid ₹12,000-Crore Trade Loss
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Stepping into the escalating standoff between political demonstrators and local commercial establishments during the peak festival shopping season, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday issued notices to the central government and concerned administrative bodies on petitions challenging recurring demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Presiding over a batch of urgent petitions that highlighted the severe disruption caused by demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and the recent mega gathering at central Delhi’s historic Ramlila Maidan, the top court emphasized that the constitutional right to assembly cannot translate into indefinite public inconvenience, remarking firmly that demonstrators cannot occupy a site perpetually to the exclusion of other citizens.
Designated Sites Require Time Limits: CJI-Led Bench Highlights Rights of Common Citizens
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana initiated proceedings while hearing a primary plea brought forward by the Kirana Committee Delhi alongside related petitions detailing police heavy-handedness, preventative detentions, metro terminal shutdowns, and temporary mobile internet blockades. CJI Kant pointed out that public assembly venues cannot be captured continuously, questioning how agricultural groups, working journalists, and varied civil societies could exercise their legitimate rights if single entities dominate common grounds. The bench observed that while peaceful protest remains a fundamental guarantee, administrations must ensure designated venues operate under strictly designated time periods, ordering the aggrieved merchant bodies to formally implead the political outfits organizing the anti-CEC agitations as named respondents in the litigation.
Traders Cite Ghost-Town Hubs: Around 50 Lakh Residents Impacted Around Connaught Place
Representing the merchant organizations in court, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi submitted that nearly 50 lakh residents and store owners across surrounding sectors in central Delhi faced severe paralysis on account of repeated arterial barricades. Rohatgi highlighted how premier commercial districts like Connaught Place wore a deserted appearance, with retail outlets shuttered due to gridlocked traffic and heavy security deployments. While taking note of the trade community’s grievances, the bench reiterated that complete judicial adjudication requires all protesting political groups to be brought before the bench, ensuring fair representation before binding directions on venue allotment and protest timelines are finalized.
Festival Commerce Paralyzed: Wholesale Bodies Claim Massive Business Hit Ahead of Diwali
The legal confrontation traces back to the INDIA bloc’s massive 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' rally convened on November 1 at Ramlila Maidan, which originated from opposition petitions alleging extensive voter roll deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) revealed that approximately 2.5 lakh of the 3 lakh retail and wholesale shops across 25 premier trading destinations—including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Karol Bagh, Kashmiri Gate, and Connaught Place—were heavily crippled or forced shut right before Diwali. Estimating cumulative business damages between ₹10,000 crore and ₹12,000 crore, trade leaders disclosed that multiple written appeals had been dispatched to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee seeking a venue shift to protect festive livelihoods, though the political rally proceeded as scheduled.
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