The Supreme Court of India has declined to pass any urgent orders prohibiting the Cockroach Janata Party’s planned protest march in Delhi on 5 September 2026. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, stated that law and order concerns fall within the jurisdiction of the police and government authorities. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on 10 September, alongside other petitions related to recent student protests.
According to Live Law, the application seeking to prohibit the protest was filed by retired Delhi Police officer Rajendra Singh. The petitioner argued that large-scale demonstrations should not be permitted in sensitive areas of the national capital without proper permissions, especially in light of the upcoming BRICS Summit scheduled for 12 and 13 September.
As reported by The Hindu, the Supreme Court bench emphasised that it expects all parties to act responsibly and within the law. The Court stated, “We are expecting them to act within that framework. From both sides, we are expecting that they will respect, they will conduct themselves and they will follow the law of the land.”
In its observations, the Court noted that there was no compelling evidence to presume that the protest would result in any untoward incident. The bench reiterated that the responsibility for maintaining law and order rests with the police and relevant government agencies. The Court advised the petitioner to approach the Centre and Delhi Police with any immediate concerns, rather than seeking judicial intervention at this stage as coverage revealed.
The Cockroach Janata Party announced the protest in response to the alleged failure of the Union government to withdraw cases against students involved in the July protests over examination irregularities. The planned march is set to proceed from India Gate to the Delhi Police Headquarters. The city police have stated that, as of the date of the hearing, no formal request for permission to hold the procession had been received according to recent updates.
“At least as of now, we will presume, and we have no reason to doubt, that everybody will act and behave in a very responsible manner and in a peaceful and lawful manner. So right now, for us, there are no compelling circumstances to presume that anything wrong will happen,” Chief Justice Surya Kant stated.
The petitioner’s counsel raised concerns about the timing of the protest, citing the presence of international dignitaries and media for the BRICS Summit. The counsel argued that the march could be postponed until after the summit and highlighted previous incidents of unrest during similar events. However, the Court maintained that such apprehensions were speculative and did not warrant preemptive judicial action as analysis showed.
During the proceedings, the bench clarified that the judiciary cannot intervene in matters of law and order unless there is clear evidence of imminent threat or illegality. The Court also noted the absence of an identifiable or registered office for the Cockroach Janata Party, which complicated the process of serving legal notice to the organisers as details emerged.
The Supreme Court directed that the application be listed for detailed hearing on 10 September, along with other pending petitions related to the CJP protests. The bench reiterated that any urgent law and order issues arising before the protest could be addressed by the authorities, and the petitioner retains the right to approach the Court if new circumstances develop as subsequent reporting indicated.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.