Buses, walking: Commuters look for ways to travel after Metro again shuts 16 stations in protest zone
For the second consecutive day, 16 Metro stations around Central Delhi – all in the vicinity of the Jantar Mantar where CJP supporters are protesting – were closed.
Every morning, Nazir Khan’s job is to chase monkeys.
The 38-year-old travels from Bhalswa Dairy to the Australian High Commission, where he spends four hours capturing and relocating aggressive monkeys. “Everyday, 10-12 monkeys come there. My shift goes on for four hours,” he said.
Khan usually gets off at Lok Kalyan Marg station, barely 1.5 km from his workplace. But with the station closed, the train took him to Dilli Haat-INA, two stations ahead.
“I will take bus number 502 until Jor Bagh and then walk another 35-40 minutes. If I spend money on an autorickshaw every day, what will I save?” Khan told The Indian Express.
Since 7.30 am, 16 stations around Jantar Mantar remained shut, including Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhambha Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh and Shivaji Stadium.
While interchange facility was available at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat Metro stations even during the closure, passengers could neither enter nor exit these stations.
Delhi High Court advocate Hemant Baisla (32), who takes the Metro daily from Rohini, could not make it to the court. With stations near the HC, Supreme Court, Patiala House Court and Rouse Avenue Court shut, Baisla attended the hearings virtually.
“I use the Delhi Metro for nearly 90% of my monthly travel because it is the fastest and most reliable mode of transport. By car, it takes me around 1.5- 2 hours to reach the court due to traffic, whereas the Metro takes about one hour,” he said.
“For an advocate, every minute matters, as even a slight delay can affect court proceedings. The closure of Metro stations near court complexes has increased travel time, caused inconvenience to advocates and litigants, and disrupted the smooth functioning of the justice delivery system. The Government should resolve the issue at the earliest through dialogue, as justice delayed is justice denied.”
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“About 80% of young lawyers use the Metro. I couldn’t go to court today, so I relied on virtual hearings,” Baisla said.
At the Central Secretariat, only those with valid office IDs were allowed to exit. No one could enter the station.
By Thursday evening, entry gates at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat Metro stations reopened after remaining closed for over 14 hours amid the ongoing CJP protest, while 13 other stations continued to remain shut.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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