Origin: Supreme Court questions Delhi Metro station closures

The Supreme Court on September 10 issued notice to the Union government, Delhi Police, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Delhi government on a petition challenging the shutdown of 17 Metro stations during the July protests at Jantar Mantar. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked the authorities to explain the legal basis and proportionality of the closures.

The petition, filed by advocate Sparsh Kant Nayak, contends that the Metro Railways Act contains no provision permitting such shutdowns and that no formal orders were issued, with the decision instead conveyed through posts on X. It frames the issue as one affecting constitutional rights and the limits on executive power to shut a public utility.

The bench said courts typically defer to the executive on law and order but will examine whether the discretion here was used disproportionately, and cautioned against treating a standard operating procedure as a legal prerequisite. It noted that vehicle movement is ordinarily regulated under police laws. The closures, including at the Supreme Court station and on July 20 and 22, caused widespread disruption in central Delhi.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources