The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to restrain the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its founder Abhijeet Dipke from holding a protest at Connaught Place’s Central Park on Friday, even as the Delhi Police assured the court that it would take ‘appropriate steps’ to regulate the gathering and prevent disruption to business activity in the Capital’s commercial hub.Hearing an urgent plea by Anil Kumar Gupta, a licensed street vendor who sells ready-made garments at Palika Bazar, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma took the police’s assurance on record and listed the matter for further consideration on November 3.Dipke has called for a nationwide ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ demonstration on October 16, urging citizens to assemble at Connaught Place with the national flag. The protest call comes a day after CJP co-conveners Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were remanded to five-day judicial custody for allegedly trespassing into Jantar Mantar, violating bond conditions and obstructing police personnel on duty. Both have been sent to Tihar Jail.Appearing for Gupta, senior advocate Sachin Puri argued that the proposed protest was planned at a site not designated for demonstrations and could bring business activity across Connaught Place to a standstill.“In the heart of CP, it will block the entire CP. This is not about Jantar Mantar. They may ensure that the protest does not take place and movement is not stopped,” Puri submitted, seeking a direction to prevent the gathering and ensure that public movement remained uninterrupted.Puri said the plea was filed on behalf of street vendors, daily-wage earners and small traders whose livelihoods were repeatedly affected by agitations, barricading and traffic diversions in central Delhi. He stressed that the proposed demonstration coincided with a major Hindu festival weekend and warned that traders could suffer substantial losses if access to the commercial hub was blocked.Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Delhi Police, said the petitioners’ apprehensions were understandable in view of what he described as a “pattern of lawlessness”. He submitted that the concern extended to around 15 lakh traders whose business activities could be affected.Central Park to be shut on October 16-17The Central Park in Connaught Place will remain shut to the public on October 16 and 17 due to administrative reasons, the New Delhi Municipal Council said in a noticeThe move comes ahead of the CJP’s ‘Lehra do Tiranga’ march at the park on Friday. Besides, the Delhi Police later offered an alternate route for Tiranga march to the CJPWhen the Bench asked whether the police had taken action against Dipke, the ASG assured the court that it would. The court was also informed that CJP had already been served notice by email.Recording the police’s assurance, the Bench noted that the petitioner feared the proposed gathering could disrupt business in Connaught Place. The police assured the court that the concerns would be addressed and all possible measures permitted under the law would be taken. The court, however, declined to issue an order restraining the protest.Gupta’s plea maintains that he does not oppose the right to protest at designated venues in accordance with the law but seeks enforcement of existing legal restrictions and court orders governing demonstrations in central Delhi.The petition refers to an October 11 Supreme Court order directing that no protest, dharna or gathering be permitted at Jantar Mantar or in the surrounding area in central Delhi. It seeks a traffic and pedestrian access plan for Jantar Mantar, Parliament Street and adjoining roads, with barricading and diversions limited to what is strictly necessary.It also seeks time-bound revision of standard operating procedures for designated protest venues to ensure that demonstrations do not block surrounding roads. The petitioner has further sought protection for street vendors against eviction or seizure of their goods except in accordance with the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.