New Delhi, October 3 (H.S.). The Youth Congress has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the Delhi Police’s decision to deny permission to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The petition has been filed by Youth Congress national president Uday Bhanu Chib.

The High Court is expected to hear the petition next week.

Chib has challenged the Delhi Police order dated October 1, through which his application seeking permission was rejected. The petition states that the Youth Congress had sought permission on September 25 to hold a peaceful protest involving approximately 100 to 150 people. In its application to the Delhi Police, the Youth Congress had stated that it would comply with all legal conditions relating to security, traffic management, discipline and the maintenance of public order.

The petition states that despite repeated attempts to contact the police, the organisation was informed only on October 1 that permission had been denied — the very date proposed as the first day for the protest. It argues that the police’s power to regulate assemblies does not imply an unrestricted authority to impose a complete prohibition without undertaking a case-specific and reasonable assessment of the circumstances.

The petition further contends that the Delhi Police’s decision violates the fundamental rights to freedom of speech and expression and to assemble peacefully, guaranteed under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution. It also argues that applying guidelines governing protests and assemblies mechanically, without due consideration of the circumstances, is arbitrary.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar