New Delhi, Sep 7 — The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Delhi Police to decide by September 14 an application filed by Kshatriya Karni Sena seeking permission to hold a peaceful demonstration against reservation and the recently-notified University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations at Jantar Mantar on September 20.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed Dr. Raj Shekhawat, President of Kshatriya Karni Sena, to submit a fresh application to the Delhi Police after his counsel informed the High Court that the organisation had now fixed September 20 as the date for the proposed protest, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Delhi High Court directed the competent authority to consider the fresh application and take a decision within a week, while making it clear that the police could impose appropriate conditions in accordance with law.
"You (Kshatriya Karni Sena) give your representation, and they will decide by September 14. And you (Delhi Police) will have to tell them. You put any condition you want," Justice Sharma said.
The order came after Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Delhi Police, informed the Delhi High Court that permission for a protest proposed for September 6 had been denied in view of preparations for the BRICS Summit.
ASG Sharma submitted that the police would consider the organisation's request after the summit. The High Court was hearing a plea filed by Shekhawat challenging the August 28 communication by the Delhi Police rejecting permission for the proposed demonstration.
The plea had also sought reconsideration of the application and passing of a fresh reasoned order. During the hearing, Justice Sharma noted that three of the prayers in the petition had become infructuous and directed the petitioner to submit a fresh application with the revised date of the protest.
The counsel for the petitioner informed the Delhi High Court that the organisation had decided to hold the demonstration on September 20.
The Kshatriya Karni Sena has been seeking withdrawal of the UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, and has relied upon a Supreme Court order in which certain provisions of the regulations were kept in abeyance after the apex court found ambiguities in some of them and noted the possibility of their misuse.
In his plea, Shekhawat said he had submitted a written application on August 27 seeking permission to hold the demonstration and had undertaken to comply with all lawful directions and reasonable conditions imposed by the authorities.
However, the Delhi Police rejected the request on August 28, citing preparations for the BRICS Summit. The matter had earlier come up before the High Court on September 3, when the petitioner was asked to consider changing the date of the proposed protest.
The High Court had then observed that there was no reason for the organisation to insist on a particular date if the police was not agreeable to it.