CJI declines Opposition meeting ahead of INDIA bloc march to Supreme Court over SIR, CEC

Opposition INDIA bloc leaders were set to march to the Supreme Court on Monday afternoon, 12 October, over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and their demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined their request for a meeting.

CJI declines meeting request

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had sought a meeting with the CJI on Monday afternoon to submit a memorandum, The Week reported. Citing a LiveLaw report, The Week said the CJI’s office replied by email that the issues were “already sub judice before the Supreme Court”.

According to PTI, as quoted by Business Standard, the CJI cited pending judicial proceedings concerning the SIR and the CEC, and indicated that a petition filed on Monday could be taken up on Tuesday alongside pending matters.

The memorandum’s demands, as reported by The Week, are an end to what the Opposition calls “vote chori”, a halt to the SIR and the CEC’s resignation, along with a return to paper ballots. “Tomorrow, we will march to the Supreme Court as Indians,” Gandhi wrote on X on Sunday. BJP national spokesperson C R Kesavan said Gandhi’s attempts to “repeatedly politicise our constitutional institutions” were “anarchic”, PTI reported.

Metro closures and court directions

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said entry and exit at six stations would be closed from 6 am to 4 pm on Monday, with interchange facilities available.

• Stations closed: Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat and Barakhamba Road
• Assembly point: Connaught Place–Barakhamba Road junction at 1.30 pm (The Week)
• 10 October: 45 of 303 metro stations were closed during protests at Jantar Mantar, the Solicitor General told the court (Bar and Bench)

At a special sitting on Sunday, 11 October, a bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notice on a contempt petition against the Union Home Secretary, the Delhi Police Commissioner and the DMRC chairperson, alleging that stations stayed shut despite the court’s 9 October order against a complete shutdown of public transport, Bar and Bench reported. The bench directed that metro and rail services function normally, subject to public-order regulation under Article 19(2), and that there be no detention except as per law.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that “a full complement of 4,157 train trips were run on 10th October”. “We are duty-bound under Article 32 to protect and enforce fundamental rights,” Justice Bagchi said, according to Bar and Bench.

Detentions at CJP protests

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has led protests against the CEC, said more than 15,000 people were detained on 10 October, a figure AFP could not verify; The Hindu reported more than 5,000, according to AFP. News outlets Scroll and Newslaundry said their journalists were briefly detained, AFP reported. CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were detained on arrival in Delhi and released on Sunday, Business Standard reported.

Delhi Police cited alleged past violations by the CJP to justify restrictions, according to Business Standard. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of impropriety, saying the revision removes duplicate and ineligible voters, AFP reported.

Sources: The Week, The Week, Business Standard, Deccan Herald, Bar and Bench, Dawn (AFP).