Priors
Precedents

Ramlila Maidan midnight police action on Baba Ramdev's camp

4 Jun 2011 – 5 Jun 2011, Delhi

Baba Ramdev's Bharat Swabhiman Trust held a permitted yoga camp at Ramlila Maidan from 1 June 2011 and turned it into a fast against black money on 4 June. Late that night Delhi Police withdrew the permission, imposed a Section 144 order and cleared the ground after midnight with tear gas; one participant, Rajbala, later died of her injuries. The Supreme Court took suo motu notice and in February 2012 found that the action suffered from arbitrariness and, to some extent, abuse of power, and ordered compensation and action against police personnel.

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In power
INC: Delhi Police, Centre

What the government did

  1. 25 Apr 2011

    Permission grantedPolice, DelhiShare

    By a letter of 25 April 2011 the DCP (Central District) permitted the Bharat Swabhiman Trust to hold a yoga training session at Ramlila Ground from 1 to 20 June 2011, on conditions that included following police instructions, failing which the permission could be revoked at any time.

    MoreLess · 2 sources

    The Trust had applied for a camp for 4,000 to 5,000 people. After the DCP asked about media reports of a planned fast, the Trust wrote on 28 May that there would be no programme other than a residential yoga camp.

    Sources [1][5]

  2. 1 Jun 2011

    NegotiationCentreShare

    Four Union ministers met Ramdev at Delhi airport on 1 June and asked him not to go ahead with the fast, and talks continued until late on 4 June, according to the Supreme Court judgment.

    MoreLess · 2 sources

    At a media briefing on 8 June the Home Minister said government representatives had held talks with Ramdev from 1 to 4 June and that by late on 4 June Ramdev had gone back on his assurances.

    Sources [1][5]

  3. 4 Jun 2011

    Permission deniedPolice, DelhiShare

    According to the police account recorded by the Supreme Court, the order withdrawing permission for the yoga camp was passed at 9:30 pm on 4 June and police reached the ground after 10:30 pm to inform the organisers.

    MoreLess · 2 sources

    The judgment's narrative of events records that at about 11:30 pm a police team led by the Joint Commissioner of Police told Ramdev that the permission was withdrawn and that he would be detained. The Home Minister said a decision had been taken in advance that Ramdev would not be allowed to fast at Ramlila ground and, if he persisted, would be directed to leave Delhi.

    Legal basis: Revocation clause in the permission letter of 25 April 2011; directions under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act, 1978 (as stated by the Home Minister)

    Sources [1][5]

  4. 4 Jun 2011

    Section 144 / 163Police, DelhiShare

    At about 11:30 pm the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sub-Division Kamla Market, passed a prohibitory order for the area.

    MoreLess · 1 source

    The order recited that it was passed ex parte because it could not be served individually, and that it would be published through the press and on official notice boards. In the Supreme Court, Justice Swatanter Kumar found that the police made no public announcement asking the crowd to leave, contrary to Delhi Police Standing Order 309, and Justice B.S. Chauhan found that the crowd was not informed of the order and the assembly was never declared unlawful.

    Legal basis: Section 144 CrPC, 1973, read with Ministry of Home Affairs notification No. U.11036/1/2010 of 9 September 2010 (as quoted in the judgment)

    Sources [1]

  5. 5 Jun 2011

    Tear gasPolice, DelhiShare

    Police, CRPF and Rapid Action Force personnel reached the ground at about 12:30 am, when most of the crowd was asleep, and went to the dais at about 1:10 am; Ramdev left the stage for the crowd at 1:25 am.

    MoreLess · 1 source

    Police and members of the crowd threw bricks, and police fired tear gas shells. The police said they first used water cannon; the court found that the only water cannon available was at the VIP gate and that footage and photographs did not show it in use. The court found from CCTV footage that tear gas was fired at about 2:20 am, and its narrative records that by about 2:10 am almost all supporters had been driven out towards New Delhi Railway Station.

    • 8 tear gas shells fired, said Delhi Police (as recorded by the Supreme Court) [1]
    • about 5,000 police and paramilitary personnel at the ground, said Amicus curiae (as recorded by the Supreme Court) [1]
    • about 1,200 police and paramilitary personnel at the ground, said Supreme Court (from the record) [1]
    • over 20,000 people at Ramlila ground on the night of 4/5 June, said Delhi Police (as stated by the Home Minister) [5]
    • 15,000 to 20,000 people in the tent at the time of the police action, said Conceded position before the Supreme Court [1]

    Sources [1]

  6. 5 Jun 2011

    Lathi chargePolice, DelhiShare

    Accounts of force differ.

    MoreLess · 2 sources

    The Home Minister said that according to Delhi Police minimum force was used. Before the Supreme Court the police denied a lathi charge, though one police affidavit stated that tear gas, water cannon and finally a lathi charge were used in response to violence by the crowd. The Trust said police attacked the crowd and threw bricks. Justice Swatanter Kumar rejected the police submission that no lathi charge took place, and found that some police personnel inflicted cane injuries and threw bricks while others helped people leave. Rajbala, recorded in the police log as a Gurgaon resident, suffered a cervical spine fracture and later died of septicaemia; the police said she probably fell from the stage, which the court found was not supported by the CCTV footage.

    • 43 civilians injured, said Delhi Police (as stated by the Home Minister on 8 June 2011) [5]
    • 32 police personnel injured, said Delhi Police (as stated by the Home Minister on 8 June 2011) [5]
    • 48 members of the public injured, said Delhi Police affidavit of 17 June 2011 (as recorded by the Supreme Court) [1]
    • 38 police personnel injured, said Delhi Police affidavit of 17 June 2011 (as recorded by the Supreme Court) [1]
    • 55 injured persons named in the Trust's list (the Trust said hundreds were injured), said Bharat Swabhiman Trust (as recorded by the Supreme Court) [1]
    • 1 died of injuries (Rajbala), said Supreme Court [1]

    Sources [1][5]

  7. 5 Jun 2011

    DetentionPolice, DelhiShare

    Ramdev was apprehended near Ranjit Singh Flyover at about 3:40 am and taken to the airport guest house.

    MoreLess · 2 sources

    At about 9:50 am he was flown out of Delhi in an Indian Air Force helicopter from Indira Gandhi International Airport.

    Legal basis: Directions under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act, 1978 (as stated by the Home Minister)

    Sources [1][5]

  8. 23 Feb 2012

    OtherCourtShare

    In a suo motu petition, the Supreme Court (Swatanter Kumar and B.S.

    MoreLess · 1 source

    Chauhan JJ) disposed of the case with directions. Justice Kumar held that the decision to evict the sleeping crowd suffered from arbitrariness and, to some extent, abuse of power, that it was not a case of emergency, and that he could not hold the order or its execution mala fide. Justice Chauhan, concurring in the directions, held that the procedural violations amounted to malice in law and a violation of human rights. The Court ordered ad hoc compensation of Rs 5 lakh for Rajbala's death, Rs 50,000 for each person with grievous injuries admitted to hospital and Rs 25,000 for each person with simple injuries, with the Trust to pay 25 percent in cases of death and grievous hurt; disciplinary action against police who threw bricks, used lathis or excessive tear gas; and criminal cases against both police personnel and members of the gathering who damaged property or threw bricks.

    Sources [1]

Outcome

Supreme Court judgment of 23 February 2012 ordered compensation, disciplinary action against police personnel, and criminal cases on both sides. Justice Swatanter Kumar held Ramdev and the Trust's office bearers vicariously liable for contributory negligence.

Background

Who governed at the start of the protest. Each action above counts for the party in power where and when it happened.

Centre government
INCUPA, Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister
State government
INC in Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister
Places
Ramlila Maidan
Cause
Return of black money held abroad and action against corruption
Organisers
Bharat Swabhiman Trust, Baba Ramdev
Scale
Over 20,000 people at Ramlila Maidan on the night of 4 June per Delhi Police; 15,000 to 20,000 in the tent per the conceded position before the Supreme Court

What they said

Words in quote marks were matched in the source. Everything else is a summary; open the source for the exact words. Each statement says whether the speaker's party was in power or in opposition at the time.

In power

“A small spark can trigger a conflagration.”

At Final paragraph of the opening statement

INCP. Chidambaram, Union Home Minister8 Jun 2011[5][4]

Sources

  1. 1In Re: Ramlila Maidan Incident Dt. 4/5.06.2011 vs Home Secretary, Union of India and OrsSupreme Court of India (via Indian Kanoon), 23 Feb 2012T2 CourtArchived 2 Mar 2012
  2. 2PM, Sonia behind crackdown on Ramdev: BJPThe Tribune, Faraz Ahmad, 6 Jun 2011T4 ReportArchived 9 Jun 2011
  3. 3PM defends crackdown on sleeping protestersPTI via Governance Now, 6 Jun 2011T5 SecondaryArchived 11 Jun 2011
  4. 4Home Minister Shri Chidambaram's statement on events at Ramdev's protest (reproduced)TaxGuru (reproduction of Union Home Minister's statement), 8 Jun 2011T5 SecondaryArchived 24 Oct 2014
  5. 5'A Small Spark Can Trigger A Conflagration'Outlook, P. Chidambaram, 8 Jun 2011T3 Recording

Similar precedents

Faded actions are ones this precedent does not share.

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Entry last updated 15 Oct 2026. Something wrong or missing? Edit content/precedents/ramlila-maidan-ramdev-2011.yaml