₹200-CRORE-A-DAY TRADE AT STAKE: SUPREME COURT WARNS DELHI PARK CLOSURE COULD TRIGGER COMPENSATION
October 16, 2026
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 16, 2026: The Supreme Court on Friday acknowledged the economic hardship facing traders following the closure of Central Park in Connaught Place ahead of a proposed protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), indicating that compensation could be ordered if the restrictions imposed by the authorities are ultimately found to be disproportionate.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi declined to grant an urgent hearing to a petition challenging the New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) closure order. However, the court made it clear that it retained the power to award compensation if the restrictions were found to have unlawfully damaged businesses.
The petition was brought by the Delhi Kirana Committee and the Delhi Iron and Hardware Merchant Association. Their counsel, advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai, argued that the protest-related restrictions could obstruct commercial activity worth approximately ₹200 crore a day.
The court expressed concern about the impact on small shopkeepers and their families, recognising that traders depend on daily business to sustain their livelihoods. Justice Bagchi observed that if the NDMC’s order were ultimately held to constitute a disproportionate restriction, the court could exercise its constitutional tort jurisdiction and other powers under public law to provide relief.
The bench also highlighted the competing interests surrounding the planned demonstration, including the right to protest, commercial activity and the maintenance of law and order. It indicated that these concerns could not be considered entirely in isolation.
Although the court refused to intervene urgently, it suggested that the petition could be listed for consideration on October 26 or 27. Its observations leave open the possibility of compensation, but no such award has been made at this stage.
The closure followed a call by CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke for supporters to gather at Central Park in Connaught Place with the national flag on Friday evening. Dipke alleged that party members Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had been jailed for unfurling the Tricolour.
Das and Ranka were sent to five days of judicial custody on Wednesday and lodged in Tihar Jail over allegations that they had violated their peace bonds and trespassed into Jantar Mantar, which has been denotified as a protest site.
The dispute has brought together questions of political protest, public order and the economic rights of traders operating in one of the capital’s major commercial districts. While the authorities imposed restrictions ahead of the planned demonstration, the Supreme Court’s remarks have underscored that measures taken in the interest of public order may still face judicial scrutiny if their impact on livelihoods is found to be excessive.
For Connaught Place’s traders, the immediate concern remains the loss of business caused by the closure. The Supreme Court’s indication that compensation remains possible offers a potential legal avenue, subject to a future determination that the restrictions were unlawful or disproportionate.
