Delhi Orders 24-Hr Internet Suspension Ahead of CJP Protest
A four-kilometre zone around Janpath–Kartavya Path will face mobile internet restrictions, while users along parts of the central Delhi Metro corridor may experience weak signals and disrupted uploads.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th Oct: Mobile internet services will remain suspended for 24 hours in a designated part of central Delhi, beginning at 10 pm on Friday, October 9, and ending at 10 pm on Saturday, October 10, ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
An order issued by the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, dated October 9, records the Union Home Secretary’s authorisation to suspend mobile internet services across all technologies within a four-kilometre radius of the Janpath–Kartavya Path crossing.
The order was addressed to Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Jio and MTNL, asking the operators to implement the suspension immediately. It cites the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024, and Section 20(2)(b) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
Weak Signals and Disrupted Uploads Reported
Separately, information circulating alongside the order warns that mobile signals may be extremely weak along the stretch from RK Ashram Marg to Race Course Metro station. Users in the affected stretch may struggle to upload files and videos, while ordinary voice calls may remain possible but could experience call drops and interruptions.
However, the police order itself specifies a mobile internet suspension within the four-kilometre zone around Janpath–Kartavya Path. It does not establish that all internet services across central Delhi will be shut down, or independently confirm the extent of mobile signal disruption along the entire Metro corridor.
Supreme Court Questions Transport Restrictions
The internet restrictions come amid a wider debate over security measures ahead of the CJP demonstration. The Supreme Court has questioned sweeping curbs on the Delhi Metro and trains entering the capital, stressing that crowd-control measures should not deprive commuters of essential transport facilities.
Authorities have cited law-and-order concerns as the reason for heightened restrictions ahead of the planned protest. The measures have raised questions about how security requirements can be balanced with access to communication services, public transport and the right to demonstrate.
