CJP Issues 24-Hour Deadline to Police Over Jantar Mantar Protest Permitting

The Cockroach Janta Party on Monday served a 24-hour ultimatum to the Delhi Police to allocate a date and time for a peaceful demonstration at Jantar Mantar, escalating tensions surrounding recent access restrictions in the national capital.

Party co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, alongside legal head Ratna Singh, visited the Parliament Street Police Station to formally submit the request. The political grouping left the scheduling decision entirely in the hands of law enforcement while demanding a swift response.

The development follows the denial of permission by the Delhi Police for a previously planned protest on October 10. Authorities had rejected that application on the grounds of short notice, stating that organisers were required to submit requests at least ten days in advance.

The initial prohibition preceded a heavy security clampdown across central New Delhi, which featured widespread barricading, metro station closures, and the deployment of more than 25,000 security personnel. High-profile figures, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and other key organisers, faced preventive detentions as they attempted to reach the capital from Mumbai.

Speaking to reporters outside the police station, CJP representatives asserted that peaceful assembly remains a fundamental constitutional right. They noted that while law enforcement routinely insists on advance notice, leaving the choice of timing directly to the administration removes any justification for prolonged delays.

Party leaders maintained that if authorities fail to communicate an approved schedule within the stipulated 24-hour window, the organisation will independently announce a fresh call to action. The grouping has sustained pressure over alleged irregularities in voter roll revisions and is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The ongoing standoff highlights mounting friction over public assembly rights in central Delhi, where authorities have tightened restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Local police officials have yet to issue a formal response regarding the fresh scheduling request.