Supreme Court Questions Government Over Delhi Protest Restrictions

The Supreme Court on Friday pressed the central government to justify the unprecedented restrictions it had announced for New Delhi in anticipation of a protest scheduled for Saturday by the Cockroach Janta Party. During hearings, the bench questioned whether the authorities had authority to impose such broad-based measures that appeared to curtail normal civic activities across the capital. The court's intervention came as the government moved to tighten security and movement protocols ahead of the planned demonstration. Justices noted that while maintaining law and order is important, the restrictions appeared to go beyond what was reasonably necessary for crowd management. The bench indicated that authorities must balance public safety concerns with citizens' constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and protest. The case has raised broader questions about the extent to which governments can restrict public movement and activity when demonstrations are planned in major cities.