The Delhi Police denied permission for a protest planned by the NREGA Sangarsh Morcha, a consortium of civil society groups working with rural workers, at the Jantar Mantar on Friday (December 19, 2025), citing “existing guidelines” that require applications seeking permission for a protest to be filed 10 days ahead.
The group wanted to protest against the repeal of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Nevertheless, the activists and Parliamentarians gathered at the Jantar Mantar for a few minutes on Friday (December 19), in a symbolic gesture to register their dissent. Activists, including economist Jean Dreze, Rajendran Narayanan, and Mukesh, were joined by MPs Sasikanth Senthil of the Congress, S. Murasoli and Thanga Tamil Selvan of the DMK, Bikash Bhattacharya of the CPI(M), and Raja Ram Singh of the CPI(ML) Liberation.
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“A 20-year-old law was repealed in two days but to carry out a protest we were told we need to give 10 days’ notice. Article 19 of the Constitution enshrines right to speech, and Article 21 the right to work. They repealed right to work and barricaded protest,” Mr. Narayanan said, pointing out the police personnel at the venue heavily outnumbered the activists. “We have not come here to protest. Our protest stands cancelled since we do not have permission. We have come here only to register our dissent,” he added.
