Delhi redesigns protest zones, naming Ramlila Maidan among three new official sites

Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar will no longer serve as a designated protest ground, replacing it with three alternative venues: the centrally located Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground in north Delhi and CBD Ground in east Delhi. The decision arrives amid ongoing demonstrations against the Election Commission’s handling of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Ramlila Maidan is historically significant, having been the rally point for Jayaprakash Narayan’s 1975 anti-Emergency speech and Anna Hazare’s 2011 hunger strike that pressured the Congress-led UPA.

Earlier, the National Green Tribunal had ordered a ban on Jantar Mantar protests in 2017, a move partially overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018, which emphasized regulated use of the area. Critics argue that moving protests farther from Parliament may diminish visibility, while officials cite security and civic considerations. The new framework’s legal durability remains uncertain, given the Supreme Court’s earlier directives.