Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders reached the Supreme Court on Monday evening after Delhi Police stopped their protest march demanding action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
The march was stopped by police barricades on Bhagwan Das Road, around 600 metres from the Supreme Court. Gandhi later entered the Supreme Court Registry, where his legal team completed the formalities for a petition challenging the Election Commission’s actions.
The petition alleges large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav are also among the petitioners.
The Opposition has sought an independent inquiry into the SIR process, a halt to the exercise and action against Kumar. The petition also seeks scrutiny of the Election Commission’s decision-making process and its online voter registration mechanism.
Police Stop INDIA Bloc March Near Supreme Court
Thousands of protesters and Opposition leaders gathered in central Delhi on Monday for the march. Police put up additional barricades on Bhagwan Das Road and pushed back protesters as they attempted to move towards the Supreme Court.
Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav and other INDIA bloc leaders.
Ahead of the march, Gandhi said the protest was focused on removing Kumar and alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner was acting under pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
“There are no parallel protests, there is one protest,” Gandhi said, reiterating the Opposition’s demand for action against the CEC.
The Opposition had earlier sought a meeting with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to raise its concerns over alleged “vote chori”. The CJI declined the request on Sunday, with sources saying the issues were already before the court.
The INDIA bloc’s demands also include an early hearing of cases related to the SIR process, scrutiny of the committee responsible for recommending Election Commission appointments and action over police treatment of protesters.
CJP Seeks Date for Protest at Jantar Mantar
Meanwhile, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka visited Parliament Street Police Station on Monday to seek a date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar against Kumar.
Das said the decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site was unacceptable and that the organisation would not accept what it described as an arbitrary move.
Delhi Police has reportedly designated three alternative locations for protests: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi.
The CJP has given police 24 hours to provide a date for its proposed demonstration.
Why the Opposition Is Protesting
The protests have intensified amid allegations of irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls. Opposition parties claim the exercise could lead to large-scale voter deletions and have questioned the Election Commission’s decision-making process.
The controversy has also followed reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections on several occasions over decisions and orders during a 10-month period. Some reports said the objections concerned decisions allegedly taken without their knowledge.
The Election Commission has maintained that decisions, including those related to the SIR, were taken unanimously by the three-member poll panel.
The latest march follows police action against demonstrators over the weekend. Thousands were reportedly detained on Saturday as authorities prevented protesters from reaching Jantar Mantar, while more than 200 people were detained during Sunday’s demonstrations, according to reports.
