Overview
Protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have been detained across Delhi. The controversy centres on the Delhi Police’s failure to publish the Section 163 prohibitory orders that are said to be in force. These orders limit assemblies, processions and slogan‑shouting, but the public cannot see their exact terms or duration.
Key Developments (Oct 2026)
- On 23 August 2026, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajay Sharma issued a BNSS order restricting gatherings in the Parliament Street police sub‑division, but exempting a demarcated stretch of Jantar Mantar Road.
- On 3 Oct 2026, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) posted on X that Section 163 orders are in force across the New Delhi district, without attaching the actual orders or stating their expiry.
- Protesters, including opposition leaders and journalists, were detained in Connaught Place on 11 Oct 2026 despite the lack of a publicly available order for that area.
- Jantar Mantar, recently de‑notified as a protest site, saw barricades on Firoz Shah Road on 14 Oct 2026 when activists tried to march there.
- Former Supreme Court judge Abhay S. Oka and senior advocate Abhinav Sekhri warned that non‑publication violates the statutory right to challenge such orders.
- A petition by B.Tech student Samriddhi Das has been listed before the Supreme Court for 15 Oct 2026, alleging that the police deliberately withheld the order affecting Jantar Mantar.
Important Facts
- The August 23 order bans assemblies of five or more persons, public meetings, process