CJI Surya Kant declines meeting request, citing matters already pending before the court; Opposition protests continue amid detentions in Delhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders moved the Supreme Court over allegations concerning the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on Monday, after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant reportedly declined their request for a meeting, citing matters already pending before the court.
The Opposition had sought a meeting with the CJI to raise concerns over alleged “vote chori”, police action against protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an early hearing of cases related to the SIR exercise, and the composition of the committee responsible for recommending appointments to the Election Commission.
The INDIA bloc had organised a protest march towards the Supreme Court under the banner “Chalo Dilli”, with Gandhi leading the march. The procession was stopped on Bhagwan Das Road, around 600 metres from the court, although Gandhi and other leaders later reached the Supreme Court premises.
According to reports, the Congress legal team had filed a petition against the Election Commission, with Gandhi as the lead petitioner. The precise procedural status of the petition was not immediately clear from the available information.
The CJI’s reported refusal to meet the Opposition leaders came amid continuing protests against Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that decisions concerning the revision, along with other matters, were taken unanimously by its three-member panel.
The controversy has also intensified following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections on at least 14 occasions over a period of 10 months to certain decisions and orders, some of which they reportedly said had been issued without their knowledge.
The INDIA bloc march followed a series of demonstrations demanding Kumar’s resignation. On Saturday, authorities detained thousands of protesters in Delhi during a security operation intended to prevent a planned mass demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
The operation reportedly involved extensive barricading and a large security deployment across central Delhi. More than 200 protesters were also reportedly detained on Sunday as demonstrations continued, with some participants attempting to march towards Jantar Mantar.
The protests have drawn participation from opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has also been demanding Kumar’s resignation over the SIR controversy.
Separately, CJP leaders, including Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, visited Parliament Street Police Station on Monday to seek a date for holding a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar.
The group gave the Delhi Police 24 hours to provide a date for the proposed demonstration.
The CJP’s move follows the detention of its leaders and other protesters during the preceding demonstrations.
