New Delhi, Oct 11: The Supreme Court on Sunday directed that people gathering peacefully should not be illegally detained, as it issued a notice to the Centre on a plea seeking contempt proceedings for alleged violation of the court’s direction to ensure that there is no “complete prohibition” on metro and train services in Delhi due to the CJP protest.

In a special sitting, a bench of justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to ensure that Delhi Metro functions as per its normal schedule, and that there is no disruption to internet services, subject to law and order conditions.

“In view of the urgent applications alleging violation of our earlier order dt. October 9, 2026, and also alleging illegal detention of large number of individuals at Delhi on October 10, 2026 this court had assembled for an urgent hearing.

“Senior counsels submitted there was a flagrant violation of the directions — metro railway was not functioning, New Delhi and Nizamuddin railway stations remained closed, no traffic advisories were issued and a large number of persons were subjected to undue harassment and illegal detention even beyond the area which was covered by the prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023,” the bench said.

The apex court also asked Mehta to ensure that lawyers, journalists and others shall not be impeded in discharging their professional duties.

During the hearing, Mehta submitted that entry and exit were restricted at only 45 out of 303 stations across the metro network on October 10.

As the hearing commenced, the top court said it would grant hearing to all lawyers while dealing with a plea seeking contempt proceedings against authorities for alleged blatant violation of the court’s direction on the matter.

The top court was also hearing a habeas petition filed by senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy against the detention of political leaders.

The contempt plea, filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi, has arrayed Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chairperson D Thara as respondents.

The petition referred to the top court’s October 9 order, which was passed while hearing a separate plea against the closure of 57 metro stations and cancellation of trains to Delhi in view of the protest.

The protest call was given by the CJP and some student organisations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.

The government thwarted a planned mass mobilisation at Jantar Mantar on Saturday after an unprecedented security clampdown and the detention of over 7,000 protesters, including CJP leader Abhijit Dipke, several opposition leaders and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee.

New Delhi, Oct 11: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were under preventive arrest following their detention at the Delhi airport ahead of the Jantar Mantar protest, but were later released after being produced before the executive magistrate on Sunday.

They were released on condition that they would not “breach peace” for a year, CJP legal affairs head Ratna Singh said.

Earlier on Sunday morning, police said that the CJP leaders were put under preventive arrest after being detained by Delhi Police after their flight landed in the national capital and that they will be produced before the executive magistrate at Delhi Cantt Police Station.

Section 126 (security for keeping peace) and 170 (arrest to prevent commission of cognisable offences) of the BNSS were invoked against the CJP leaders, according to sources.

“Executive Magistrate court releases Abhijeet, Saurav and Ashutosh,” Singh said in a post on X after the three leaders were produced before the executive magistrate.

The CJP leaders’ detention on Saturday came amid an unprecedented security clampdown in Delhi, where more than 7,000 protesters were detained at multiple locations, foiling protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar.

Several opposition leaders, including former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, were also detained while attempting to join the protest.

The CJP has renewed its call for a protest at Jantar Mantar on Sunday as police continued its heavy security arrangements with over 30,000 police and paramilitary personnel to be deployed in the city.

The CJP and opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls.

New Delhi, Oct 11: YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who was detained by Delhi Police ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, was released late on Saturday night, an official said on Sunday.

“He can be detained again, or further legal action might be taken if he tries to go to Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders,” a police source said.

Rathee was detained from his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 56 on Saturday as police stepped up security across the national capital to prevent protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar for a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities related to the SIR.

The detention came amid an unprecedented security clampdown in Delhi, where more than 7,000 protesters were detained at multiple locations, police sources said.

Several opposition leaders, including former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar, were also detained while attempting to join the protest.

CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das have been placed under preventive arrest after their detention from the airport.

Police are likely to register multiple FIRs in connection with the alleged assaults on personnel during the protest, a senior officer said.

New Delhi, Oct 11: Four journalists’ organisations, including the Press Club of India (PCI) and the Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC), condemned the detention and harassment of several journalists covering protests in the national capital demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the organisations highlighted that police detained several journalists despite their displaying press identity cards, and seized the phones and equipment of some reporters.

The statement was issued by the PCI, IWPC, Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi unit).

The organisations said Delhi Police detained hundreds of protesters demanding Kumar’s resignation on Saturday. Journalists covering the police action were also bundled into buses and taken to detention centres, including the Chhatrasal Stadium and the Chanakyapuri police station.

Reporters from The Quint, The Wire, Scroll, Reporter TV, Navbharat Times, Newslaundry, and senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta were among those detained.

“The reporters said they were detained while filming detentions, despite prominently displaying their press cards,” the statement said.

It pointed out that police dismissed the journalists’ claims of being members of the press, with some officers reportedly saying, “Everybody claims to be a journalist these days.”

The organisations also said they received complaints that official reporting phones belonging to the detained journalists were snatched and seized.

Describing the detentions as a “blatant attack on the freedom of press”, the organisations questioned Delhi Police’s earlier position that only journalists accredited by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) would be allowed to cover the protests.

“Press freedom in India cannot be conditional on PIB accreditation. A large section of digital and independent media does not have PIB cards, yet they are recognised press under the law,” the statement said.

The organisations said they had raised these concerns in a joint memorandum submitted to the Delhi Police commissioner earlier this week but alleged that the police disregarded their suggestions.

They demanded immediate and unconditional release of all the detained journalists, return of the seized phones and equipment, and a public apology from Delhi Police.

The organisations also sought an inquiry into the conduct of senior police officers who allegedly ordered the detention of journalists despite being shown press identity cards.

They also demanded a clear assurance that journalists won’t be prevented from covering protests.

The statement also criticised the extensive security arrangements in the capital, alleging that 22,000 police and paramilitary personnel had been deployed, metro stations closed and internet services shut down to prevent protests.

“Preventing journalists from doing their job, detaining them without reason, and creating a fortress-like situation in the capital with 22,000 police and paramilitary, closed metro stations and unprecedented internet shutdowns, to stop peaceful questioning of institutions is reminiscent of a fascist state,” the organisations said.

Expressing solidarity with the detained journalists, the four bodies asserted that reporters must be allowed to discharge their professional duties without intimidation or interference.