Protest against CEC: CJI Surya Kant refuses meeting with INDIA bloc

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has declined a request from Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge to meet ahead of the INDIA bloc's planned march to the Supreme Court on Monday, sources told India Today.

Gandhi and Kharge, Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively, had sought a meeting between 4 pm and 5 pm on October 12 to submit a memorandum demanding an end to alleged "vote chori", the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a halt to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and a return to paper ballots.

MUST READ | SIR protests: No illegal detention of those gathering peacefully, says Supreme Court

Sources said the Chief Justice's response was emailed to both leaders stating that the issues they wanted to raise were already pending before the Supreme Court, making such a meeting inappropriate. The sources added that the court could not intervene in the government's functioning through its administrative role and that the leaders could seek protection of their fundamental rights through the judicial process.

Congress has called Monday's protest ‘Chalo Delhi – March for Democracy’ and asked participants to gather at the Connaught Place-Barakhamba Road junction at 1:30 pm.

DON'T MISS | CJP protest: Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das & Ashutosh Ranka released under this one condition

CHALO DELHI – PROTEST AGAINST CEC

The agitation centres on allegations of wrongful voter deletions and manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of favouring the BJP and demanded accountability from Kumar. The row intensified after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months, largely over decisions linked to the revision. The Commission has maintained that differing views are a normal part of deliberations and that its orders have legal backing and follow statutory procedures.

Gandhi said young people, Opposition parties and civil society groups would march to the Supreme Court and accused police and BJP supporters of assaulting peaceful protesters in Delhi on Saturday. Kharge said the leaders wanted to seek the Chief Justice's intervention. He accused Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of creating unrest and said Saturday's police deployment and detentions reflected the government's fear of the agitation.

MUST READ | SIR protest special hearing: SC directs Delhi barricades removed, internet restored

On Sunday, more than 200 protesters were detained as they raised slogans and marched towards Jantar Mantar amid heavy security deployment across the capital. Visuals on social media showed several journalists being detained despite displaying press identification cards. Members of student organisations including the Students' Federation of India, All India Students' Association and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, along with supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party, were detained while trying to march towards Jantar Mantar from different parts of Delhi, mainly Connaught Place.

Detentions continued into the evening, including after 6:30 pm.