New Delhi, Oct 14 There was no curtailment or cancellation of metro train services in view of October 10 protests in the national capital and the entry and exit were restricted at just 45 out of the 303 stations, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the DMRC also said the number of commuters on October 10 was slightly lower than the ridership on a normal second Saturday which shows the “adverse impact” of protest on the lives of ordinary citizens.
It said over 85 per cent of metro network (258 stations) remained fully operational, accessible and functional for commuters.
The DMRC said the entry and exit were restricted at only 45 out of 303 stations, accounting for 15 per cent of the entire network, from 9 pm of October 9 till October 10.
It said the entry and exit regulations were undertaken pursuant to the assessment of law enforcement agencies and in accordance with their directions.
“The actual number of passengers who boarded the metro on October 10, 2026 was 32 lakh approx, as against approximately 58 lakh passengers on a normal second Saturday,” the DMRC said.
“This reduction may be attributed to the protest, which appears to have prompted a large number of commuters to refrain from travelling and, consequently, from undertaking their usual daily activities or attending to their business or private employment,” it said.
The corporation filed the compliance report in pursuance to the apex court’s October 9 order.
While hearing a plea against the closure of various metro stations and cancellation of trains to Delhi in view of the October 10 protest in the national capital, the top court had directed the Centre to ensure that there was no “complete prohibition” of the movement of metro and trains coming to Delhi.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant had also directed the DMRC and others to file a compliance affidavit.
The protest call was given by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and some student organisations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.
A separate affidavit was also filed in the apex court by the DMRC chairperson, who said the October 9 order was complied with in letter and spirit.
“I state and submit that, as pointed out hereinabove, the entire metro network, except for the 45 stations specified in the modified notification dated October 9, 2026…remained fully functional throughout the day on October 10,” the affidavit said.
The DMRC chairperson also referred to the October 11 order passed by the apex court, which had dealt with a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings for an alleged violation of its direction to ensure that there was no “complete prohibition” on metro and train services in Delhi due to the protest.
The top court had said the petitioners, who had alleged violations of its direction, had made out a “prima facie” case.
In its separate affidavit, the DMRC said there was no reduction in the number of train trips and a “full complement of 4,157 train trips were run” on October 10 as per the schedule across the network.
It said upon receiving directions from Delhi Police to open the 45 stations from 10 PM on October 10, the station controllers were directed to open the entry and exit gates across these stations.
“Crucially, out of the 45 stations where entry/exit gates were regulated, 14 key interchange stations (including major transit hubs such as Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Central Secretariat, Mandi House, Hauz Khas, Dilli Haat-INA, and Netaji Subhash Place) continued to provide full and uninterrupted line-interchange facilities for commuters,” it said.
The DMRC said entry/exit of six metro stations were closed from 6 am to 5 pm on October 12 upon receiving communications from police authorities.
It said prior to the apex court’s October 9 order, the police had sought closure of entry/exit gates and curtailment across 57 metro stations.
The DMRC said after the top court’s order, the issue was immediately re-evaluated and the number of stations were reduced from 57 to 45.
It said official social media handles of DMRC on platforms like ‘X’, Facebook and Instagram gave regular updates on the planned regulations.
“Prominent, clear advisory signages informing regulatory measures, were displayed at all entry/exit gates of the DMRC metro stations,” it said.
The DMRC said additional staff and ground marshals were mobilized and deployed at major interchange stations and the ground teams guided commuters, managed passenger flows, and facilitated seamless transitions to mitigate inconvenience caused by selective gate regulations.
“The network situation was monitored continuously in real time from the operations control centre in coordination with police authorities,” it said.
Referring to the total number of commuters who travelled on metro network on October 10, the DMRC said it was slightly lower than the ridership on a normal second Saturday.
The DMRC said these figures are being placed before the top court for two reasons — to demonstrate that metro network remained functional and fully operational, except for the closure of 45 stations, and to demonstrate the “adverse impact” of protest on the lives of ordinary citizens, many of whom chose not to travel and were thereby compelled to forego their usual day-to-day activities.
“It is submitted that the DMRC shall act strictly in accordance with the assessments made and directions issued by the law enforcement agencies and shall ensure the smooth functioning of the metro network, subject to the requirements of the law enforcement agencies in furtherance of their efforts to maintain law and order,” it said.
(PTI News)
