Newdelhi: Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Sunday welcomed the Supreme Court’s recent directions concerning demonstrations in Delhi, stating that the ruling has restored faith in the country's judicial framework. He noted that the order provides reassurance to both citizens and working professionals.
The Supreme Court explicitly ordered that individuals gathering for peaceful demonstrations must not be subjected to unlawful detentions. Furthermore, the bench instructed the Centre to ensure that Delhi Metro operations proceed according to their regular schedules and that internet connectivity remains active, barring specific law and order exceptions.
A bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana additionally emphasized that members of the press, legal professionals, and other workers must be permitted to perform their professional responsibilities without obstruction. The court also issued a notice to the Centre regarding a petition that sought contempt proceedings against officials for allegedly flouting a previous October 9 order concerning restrictions on train and metro services.
The underlying petitions brought before the court claimed that Metro operations were hindered, major transit hubs such as the New Delhi and Nizamuddin railway stations were shut down, and numerous individuals experienced harassment and unauthorized detentions on October 10. The demonstrations had been organized in opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over perceived administrative flaws within the Election Commission.
During a heavy security clampdown intended to block a planned mobilization at Jantar Mantar, authorities had detained over 7,000 demonstrators, which included CJP founder Abhijit Dipke, various opposition politicians, and content creator Dhruv Rathee. The Supreme Court's intervention directly addresses these detentions alongside public transit limitations and professional access issues arising from the demonstrations.