Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday raised serious concerns over the closure of entrances to 57 Delhi Metro stations ahead of a stir by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR), stressing that such measures should not leave thousands of commuters without access to public transport.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced the closure of 57 metro stations from 9 pm on Friday ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on October 10.
“We are mainly concerned about the complete closure of these metro station entries. We have serious concerns about this,” CJI Surya Kant said. “Everybody does not have a car. Everybody does not have access to private transport. People depend on public transport. This cannot be done,” he said.
Clarifying the court’s concerns, the CJI said the issue was not about protesters or any individual, but about the inconvenience caused to ordinary citizens who travel to Delhi for their livelihood.
He highlighted the plight of students, employees and senior citizens commuting from Gurugram, Greater Noida, East Delhi and South Delhi, many of whom depend on public transport for their daily journeys.
“We are speaking on behalf of the common citizens of this city,” he said, acknowledging that law enforcement authorities are entitled to take regulatory measures.
However, he emphasised that restrictions aimed at controlling unruly movement should not bring transportation services to a complete halt.
“If you want to restrict unruly movement, you can do so. But that does not mean you can bring everything to a halt and leave people without any transport facility,” he said.
Pointing out that not everyone has access to private transport, the CJI said the closure of metro station entrances could cause significant hardship to daily commuters who rely on public transportation.
CJI Surya Kant said authorities must ensure that preventive measures remain proportionate to the situation, cautioning against excessive restrictions.
“You have to prevent certain things. Take measures only to the extent necessary to prevent them. But that does not mean you should use a hammer to kill a fly. That principle must be kept in mind,” he said.
