The Supreme Court sat on Sunday and issued directions on how Delhi handles the protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar: no illegal detention of people gathering peacefully, normal metro and rail service, no internet shutdown, and removal of a Section 163 board near the Court (Mint, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, LawChakra). Bar and Bench reports a prima facie case of contempt over the metro restrictions; Mint reports a contempt notice over the alleged breach of the 9 October order. LawChakra reports notice on a habeas corpus plea over about 7,000 detentions. Hindustan Times says about 100 people were still held at Connaught Place, and The Hindu and Hindustan Times say journalists were detained. Delhi Police registered 20 FIRs (The Hindu, Hindustan Times) and served notices on CJP leaders (The Economic Times). Abhijeet Dipke was released and says the protests will go on (Hindustan Times, Mint, The Economic Times), and a dispute over his grandmother's funeral continues (The Hindu, Hindustan Times).
Two questions are being tested at once: whether the state can close public transport and hold thousands before a protest has happened, and whether police obey a court order in practice. The answers will shape how any large protest in India is handled.
If you travel in central Delhi, check metro and traffic advisories before you leave; The Economic Times reports curbs for 13 October too. Elsewhere in India there is no direct effect, though protests and detentions were also reported in Mumbai and Goa.
The right to assemble is a basic freedom. Mass detentions, closed stations and cut internet punish people who have done nothing, and the Court's order shows the limits were crossed.
The authorities say large, leaderless crowds can turn violent, as the assaults on police and protesters show, and that order has to be kept in a capital city.
The Court has spoken; the next test is compliance. Watch whether Delhi Police explain the Connaught Place detentions to the bench, whether the contempt notice gets a reply, and what the CJP does with the date it asks for. Every crowd and detention figure so far is one side's claim.
The Hindu · Mint · Hindustan Times · The Economic Times · LawChakra · Bar and Bench · NDTV · Reuters (Oct 10–11)
Supreme Court orders no illegal detentions and normal metro service, yet Delhi detentions go on as the CJP vows to return to the streetsSupreme Court orders no illegal detentions and normal metro service, yet Delhi detentions go on as the CJP vows to return to the streets
On a Sunday sitting the Court ordered open metro, rail and internet and no unlawful detentions. Police still held people on the ground, 20 FIRs were filed, and the CJP says its next call is coming.
The Supreme Court sat on Sunday and set rules for how Delhi handles the protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Mint, Hindustan Times, The Hindu and LawChakra report that it told the authorities there must be no illegal detention of people gathering peacefully, that metro and rail services must run normally, that the internet must not be cut, and that a Section 163 notice board near the Court must go. Bar and Bench reports that the bench found a prima facie case of contempt over the metro restrictions, and Mint says it issued a contempt notice over the alleged breach of its 9 October order. NDTV quotes the Court as saying the right to protest must stay within the Police Act. LawChakra adds that it issued notice on a habeas corpus plea over the alleged illegal detention of about 7,000 people.
The streets did not follow. Hindustan Times reports that about 100 people were held at Connaught Place after the order, and The Hindu and Hindustan Times say journalists were detained. The Hindu reports that Left parties accuse the police of turning Delhi into a "war zone" and that Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas was hospitalised after being detained. Delhi Police registered 20 FIRs, including for assault on police (The Hindu, Hindustan Times), and served notices on CJP leaders (The Economic Times). Hindustan Times says four men were held after right-wing groups threatened and assaulted protesters. Many people were also detained near Shivaji Park in Mumbai, and in Goa (The Hindu).
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder, Abhijeet Dipke, was released and went back to his village in Maharashtra after his grandmother's death, Hindustan Times reports. He told Mint and The Economic Times that the protests will go on and that he has signed no bond promising otherwise. A dispute has grown over the funeral: his family says police delayed his release (The Hindu), while Delhi Police released a video showing officers telling him of the death and offering him a way home, which he is shown declining (The Hindu, Hindustan Times, The Economic Times). YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, freed late on Saturday, says he was "kidnapped", not detained (Hindustan Times, Mint).
Politics is hot. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calls it an "undeclared Emergency" (Hindustan Times, The Hindu), while Chirag Paswan says the protests are an attempt to create anarchy and BJP leaders say the group has shifted from students' concerns to electoral issues (Hindustan Times, The Hindu). Mint reports a CJP message telling supporters already in Delhi to stay put because the "next call is on its way", and CJP leaders plan to visit a Delhi police station today to ask for a date for a "peaceful" protest at Jantar Mantar (Hindustan Times, Mint). If you are in central Delhi, expect more curbs; The Economic Times reports a Delhi Traffic Police advisory for 13 October. Treat every crowd and detention figure as one side's claim until a second outlet confirms it.