Right to protest, right to trade: Trader's body CAIT urges Delhi LG to notify protest sites on city outskirts

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, requesting the notification of designated protest and demonstration sites on the outskirts of the national capital to safeguard trade, livelihoods and normal public life.

In its letter dated November 2, 2026, CAIT National President B.C. Bhartia said that recurring protests, demonstrations, political gatherings and marches in various locations across Delhi had repeatedly disrupted normal commercial activities and everyday life.

The traders' body said that while the right to peaceful protest is an integral part of democratic expression, it must be respected alongside the rights of other citizens to conduct their daily activities without disruption.


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“The right to protest cannot become a right to paralyse the city, just as the right to conduct business cannot be sacrificed in the exercise of democratic freedoms.”

CAIT said Delhi, as the national capital and a major economic hub, was home to millions of livelihoods and served as a critical link in the country's supply and distribution chain.

It said recurring disruptions had affected not only traders and shopkeepers but also street vendors, hawkers, daily wage earners, transport operators, workers, delivery personnel, hospitality establishments and other sections dependent on daily economic activity.

According to the letter, protests and demonstrations had resulted in traffic diversions, road blockages and restricted accessibility, affecting business operations and causing inconvenience to customers.

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CAIT said the disruptions had also affected the daily earnings of thousands of small and marginal economic stakeholders, with businesses facing losses and uncertainty.

The traders' body said the issue required a balanced, institutional and long-term solution rather than temporary administrative arrangements at every occasion.

What CAIT has requested

CAIT has requested the Lieutenant Governor to consider the following measures:

• Notify designated protest sites: Identify and officially notify suitable locations, preferably on Delhi's outskirts, for holding protests, demonstrations, public meetings and political gatherings.
• Ensure peaceful and accessible protests: Permit peaceful demonstrations at designated locations while ensuring normal market operations, public transport and commercial activities remain accessible and free from avoidable disruption.
• Establish a mechanism for coordination: Introduce a permanent and uniform mechanism under which individuals, organisations and political parties can exercise their democratic right to protest at designated locations without obstructing the normal functioning of the city.
• Protect essential economic activity: Give priority to daily livelihoods, particularly those of traders, small shopkeepers, daily wage earners, transport workers and other economically vulnerable sections whose earnings depend on uninterrupted movement and commercial activity.
• Improve inter-agency coordination: Direct the concerned authorities, including Delhi Police, traffic police, MCD and other relevant agencies, to work out a coordinated framework for managing demonstrations while safeguarding public convenience and economic activity.

CAIT said it was not seeking to curtail or restrict the democratic right of any individual, organisation or political party to express views or hold peaceful demonstrations.

It said its objective was to ensure that such activities were managed in a manner that respected the rights of other citizens and did not bring the economic life of the national capital to a standstill.

The traders' body also said the Constitution guaranteed the freedom of peaceful assembly, while recognising that the exercise of such rights could be subject to reasonable restrictions in the public interest.

CAIT has requested the Lieutenant Governor to examine its proposal on priority and initiate the process of notifying designated protest and demonstration sites at suitable locations on the outskirts of Delhi.

The organisation also sought an opportunity to meet the Lieutenant Governor and present its concerns and suggestions in greater detail.

Delhi's recent protests disrupt traffic, hit businesses across key commercial hubs

Delhi has witnessed a series of protests and demonstrations in recent weeks, with gatherings and security restrictions affecting prominent areas such as Jantar Mantar, Parliament Street and Connaught Place. During the October 10 protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, traffic restrictions and diversions were imposed across central Delhi, while entry and exit gates at 45 Metro stations were restricted at different times, affecting commuters and access to commercial areas.

The disruptions also affected business activity in key markets, including Connaught Place, Khan Market, Janpath and Sadar Bazaar, with traders reporting reduced footfall and shop closures during the festive season. Traders' associations had sought restrictions on large-scale demonstrations in central commercial areas and proposed a permanent protest zone outside the city, citing concerns over traffic congestion, disrupted customer movement and losses to businesses.