On Friday, the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, declined to issue an immediate injunction in response to a plea filed by the Delhi Kirana Committee and the Delhi Iron and Hardware Merchant Association. The petition argued that the planned protest by the Cockroach Janta Party at Central Park and the New Delhi Municipal Council’s order to close the park would wreak havoc on a trade corridor worth roughly Rs 200 crore a day at Connaught Place. The court said it would hear the case in the last week of October.
Traders said the protest could cost them up to Rs 2,000 crore in losses since October 10, when a similar demonstration blocked access to the market. They pointed to daily disruptions that have already dented the livelihoods of dozens of families who depend on hawker stalls and small shopkeepers. The petition also outlined three key demands: uninterrupted market access, designated protest sites away from commercial areas, and a standard operating procedure to balance protest rights with business interests.
Chief Justice Surya Kant warned that the court would exercise its powers if any unlawful disruption materialised. Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that the issue had been raised in other petitions, underscoring a growing tension between civic order and commercial activity. The court’s decision to delay the hearing signals that it will weigh the broader implications before ruling.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, in a post on X, blamed the government for turning the city into a ‘war‑zone’ and said businesses suffer when the state imposes city‑wide shutdowns. He argued that peaceful protests should not be equated with the disruptions caused by administrative orders. The traders, meanwhile, urge the court to formalise a framework that protects their daily commerce.
The Supreme Court is set to convene the hearing in the last week of October, after which it will issue a ruling that could compel the government to devise clearer guidelines for protests in Delhi’s commercial heart. Market owners in Connaught Place are watching closely, fearing further revenue loss if the protest proceeds without restrictions.