Praveen Khandelwal Welcomes Supreme Court’s Intervention on Indefinite Protests; Says “Right to Protest Cannot Come at the Cost of Right to Livelihood”

New Delhi | 3 November 2026

Shri Praveen Khandelwal, Member of Parliament and Secretary General, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), welcomed the significant intervention by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India today, which issued notice on a petition filed by the Kirana Committee, Delhi Iron & Hardware Merchants Association and other trade associations representing traders and commercial establishments across Delhi. The petition raises serious concerns over prolonged and indefinite protests at Ramlila Maidan and Jantar Mantar, which are located in close proximity to important commercial areas.

Senior Advocate Shri Mukul Rohatgi, along with Advocate-on-Record Shri Jai Anant Dehadrai and other advocates, appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

Commenting on the proceedings, Shri Khandelwal said that the observations made by the Hon’ble Supreme Court underline the importance of maintaining a constitutional balance between the fundamental right to peaceful protest and the equally important right of citizens to carry on their occupations and earn their livelihoods.

The Hon’ble Chief Justice observed that even designated protest sites cannot be occupied indefinitely. The Court emphasised that the right to protest, though an essential democratic and constitutional right, cannot be exercised without reasonable limits or in a manner that disproportionately affects the fundamental rights of other citizens.

The Court also made an important observation regarding the fair and equitable use of designated protest locations, indicating that no single organisation or group can claim an exclusive or indefinite right over such public spaces. Different organisations and groups must be provided reasonable and equitable opportunities to exercise their democratic right to peaceful protest.

The Court further directed the petitioners to implead the concerned protesting organisations and political stakeholders, including the CJP, Shri Rahul Gandhi and representatives of the INDIA bloc, as appropriate parties to the proceedings.

Shri Khandelwal stated that the petition raises a fundamental constitutional question: Can the exercise of one section of society’s right to protest be allowed to continue indefinitely at the cost of the livelihood, economic freedom and fundamental rights of thousands of other citizens?

He emphasised that traders are neither opposed to peaceful protests nor seeking to curtail anyone’s democratic rights. Their concern is the prolonged and disproportionate occupation of designated protest spaces in and around densely populated commercial areas, causing serious disruption to trade, business operations and the livelihoods of traders, employees, street vendors, daily-wage earners and numerous other dependent sections of society.

Delhi’s commercial ecosystem sustains millions of livelihoods and contributes substantially to the economic activity and revenue generation of the national capital. Prolonged disruptions in commercial areas affect not merely business owners but also workers, transporters, vendors, consumers and the entire chain of economic activity.

Shri Khandelwal said that the petition seeks a fair and workable framework that protects the democratic right to peaceful protest while ensuring that such activities do not become a source of indefinite economic disruption or deprive other citizens of their constitutional rights.

He further stated that the issuance of notice by the Supreme Court marks an important step towards judicial examination of this critical issue of competing fundamental rights. The matter will now be considered further by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

Expressing hope for a constructive outcome, Shri Khandelwal said that the proceedings should help establish a fair, balanced and constitutionally sustainable mechanism for the utilisation of designated protest sites, safeguarding both democratic freedoms and the right of citizens to earn their livelihood.

“The right to protest is fundamental to democracy, but the right to livelihood is equally fundamental. One cannot be protected by indefinitely compromising the other.”