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On 7 August 2026 the Delhi High Court questioned the continued use of Jantar Mantar Road as Delhi's designated protest venue.
The Court was hearing a petition seeking permission for a protest, and observed that Delhi should not be 'put to ransom unnecessarily'.
The hearing followed a Supreme Court direction asking the Centre to consider a plea to remove Jantar Mantar as the designated protest site and make Ramlila Maidan the principal venue.
Protests are not held inside the monument; the designated site is on the road opposite, at the Jantar Mantar Road and Sansad Marg intersection.
Jantar Mantar is an 18th century astronomical observatory built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, protected by the ASI as a monument of national importance.
The right to protest in India draws on the freedom of speech and expression and the freedom to assemble peaceably and without arms, both guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. Neither is absolute: Article 19 itself permits reasonable restrictions, including in the interests of public order. Designating a specific venue for demonstrations is one way the state reconciles the two — it preserves the ability to protest while confining the disruption to a defined location. The judicial concern expressed here runs in the opposite direction: that a single designated site in a dense central area imposes recurring costs on the surrounding public, which is what the suggestion of shifting to the much larger Ramlila Maidan seeks to address.
Simple Analogy: Designating a protest venue is like designating a place for a public meeting in a crowded market — it protects the right to meet while deciding where the inconvenience falls.
GS Paper 2 > Polity — fundamental rights, Article 19; GS Paper 1 > Art and culture — medieval Indian science
General Awareness > Indian Polity and monuments
General Awareness > Monuments and polity
The giant sundial at Jantar Mantar, used to measure time and the Sun's declination.
An instrument used to determine the shortest and longest days of the year and to compare local time with other locations.
The constitutional provision guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression and the right to assemble peaceably, subject to reasonable restrictions.
A heritage structure protected by the Archaeological Survey of India under central law.