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DMRC revises order after Supreme Court rap, 45 Delhi Metro stations to remain affected
The Supreme Court directed the Centre and Delhi Police to lift blanket restrictions on metro and railway services ahead of CJP's protests in Delhi on Saturday.
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The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) revised its order on the closure of 45 metro stations following a rap from the Supreme Court. The top court directed the Centre and Delhi Police to lift blanket restrictions on metro and railway services ahead of CJP's protests in Delhi on Saturday.
DMRC reduced the number of metro stations affected by security restrictions ahead of the CJP protest from 57 to 45. “Entry and exit at the 45 stations will remain closed from 9 pm on October 9 to 6 pm on October 10 due to security reasons. This is in partial modification of the update shared earlier about the closure of Metro stations,” it posted on X.
Also Read | Full list of 45 Delhi Metro stations to have restricted entry during CJP's Jantar Mantar protest tomorrow
Entry and exit will remain closed at the following 45 Delhi metro stations on October 10 including: Janpath, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi, Seva Teerth, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, ITO, Delhi Gate, Khan Market, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Jhandewalan, Supreme Court, Indraprastha, Shivaji Stadium, Dilli Haat-INA, Hauz Khas, Jor Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Jangpura, Ashram, Jamia Millia Islamia, Chawri Bazar, Jama Masjid, Karol Bagh, Rajendra Place, Vishwavidyalaya, Kashmere Gate, Inderlok, Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar, Netaji Subhash Place, Azadpur, Jahangirpuri, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Majlis Park, Seelampur, Maujpur-Babarpur, Jafrabad, Welcome, Yamuna Vihar, Khajuri Khas, Shahdara and Rithala.
Security agencies will review the situation, and further updates will be shared accordingly. Interchange facilities will remain available at all the affected stations, except the New Delhi Metro station.
The Supreme Court made it clear that security measures cannot amount to a complete prohibition on public transport and inconvenience millions of ordinary residents.
Earlier in the day, the DMRC announced that entry and exit gates of 57 metro stations will remain closed from 9pm onwards on October 9.
Deep Dive
A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, said that authorities could regulate the movement of trains to prevent unlawful gatherings but could not bring the entire system to a halt, stressing that the right of Delhi’s residents to access public facilities and move freely also required protection.
“Stopping something and regulating are two different concepts. One can regulate but it is completely different to put a halt on everything…you cannot stop everything,” observed the bench.
“You will not use a hammer to kill a fly,” remarked the court, explaining that the authorities must adopt measures commensurate with the situation rather than impose sweeping restrictions.
The court was told that railway services had also been disrupted ahead of the demonstration. Indian Railways cancelled mail and express trains scheduled to arrive at or depart from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10, citing anticipated severe road congestion around the stations. The cancellations affected long-distance services, including the Howrah-New Delhi and Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express trains.
