Listed within 24 hours, or mention it again tomorrow: that was the Delhi High Court’s answer on a Youth Congress plea over denied permission to protest against the Chief Election Commissioner at Jantar Mantar. The matter will be taken up on October 9.
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New Delhi: A petition by the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) challenging the Delhi Police’s refusal to permit a demonstration at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will be heard by the Delhi High Court on Friday, October 9, after the Court agreed on Thursday to take it up [Indian Youth Congress v. Delhi Police].
Senior Advocate Sanjoy Ghose mentioned the matter for the petitioner before a Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre. The Court said the plea would be listed within 24 hours and that counsel could mention it again the following day if it was not.
A refusal on the first day of the protest
IYC national president Uday Bhanu Chib filed the petition through Advocate Roopesh Singh Bhadauria, challenging the Delhi Police’s order of October 1, 2026. According to the plea, the IYC applied on September 25 for a peaceful demonstration of about 100 to 150 people and undertook to follow all lawful conditions on security, traffic, discipline and public order. The plea states that the rejection reached it only on October 1, the first proposed date of the protest, despite repeated follow-ups.
The petitioner’s legal case
In the petitioner’s submission, the power to regulate a peaceful assembly cannot be turned into a power to prohibit it without an individualised and proportionate assessment. The petition invokes Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, questions the alleged mechanical application of the guidelines on protests, and relies on Supreme Court precedent on peaceful assembly and proportionate regulation.
Where the police stand
Permission was refused by the Delhi Police’s order of October 1. Its response to the petition has yet to be placed before the High Court, and no court has examined the grounds of that refusal. The Court has not yet heard either side on the merits.
What to watch on October 9
The Court has passed no direction on the protest or on the refusal; it has only agreed to an early listing. The hearing on October 9 is the first time the Court is expected to take up the competing positions: the petitioner’s claim that a restriction on assembly needs an individualised and proportionate assessment, and the police’s decision to refuse permission. The contentions on both sides are untested, and the Court has expressed no view on the merits.
Case Title: Indian Youth Congress v. Delhi Police
Bench: Division Bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre, Delhi High Court
Date: October 8, 2026 (next listing: October 9, 2026)
Appearances: Senior Advocate Sanjoy Ghose and Advocate Roopesh Singh Bhadauria for the petitioner