New Delhi: While saying that the court would exercise its powers if there was any unlawful disruption of business due to Friday’s protest at the Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi, the Supreme Court declined to pass any immediate order on Friday.
The Court was hearing a plea by Delhi traders’ associations expressing apprehension of business losses due to the proposed protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Central Park and the consequent New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) order to shut the park.
The plea, filed by the Delhi Kirana Committee and the Delhi Iron and Hardware Merchant Association, was mentioned before the bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday morning.
The protest could disrupt trade worth Rs 200 crore a day at the Connaught Place market, the petitioners said.
CJI Kant said the court would hear the plea in the last week of October, while observing that disruption of trade could affect the livelihoods of numerous families, as reported by NDTV.
“We hope better sense will prevail on everyone… We know that all small shopkeepers, they earn their livelihood during these days. We know the hardship and difficulty entire families will face,” he said.
The closure of Central Park could also affect hawkers and small traders, who risk losing business amid the disruption, the petitioners pointed out.
“Someone wants to protest, someone wants to sell moongfali (peanuts), someone wants law and order, all are related,” Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed, referring to other petitions before the court concerning the protest.
The traders’ associations have flagged potential business losses due to protests during the festive and wedding season.
The traders have pegged the losses suffered by traders due to protests since October 10 at a staggering Rs 2,000 crore.
Traders in Connaught Place alone suffered losses of Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore due to the protest on October 10, the New Delhi Traders Association has claimed.
Reacting to the traders concerns of loss of business, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke blamed the government.
“Businesses do not suffer because of peaceful protests. They suffer when the govt decides to shut down an entire city, suspend internet services and restrict the movement of its own citizens and turn the city into a war-zone,” he posted on X.