Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 12: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has declined a request to meet Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge ahead of the INDIA bloc's planned march to the Supreme Court on Monday over alleged electoral irregularities, according to reports.
The two leaders had sought an appointment 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 (SIR) of electoral rolls and a return to paper ballots.
According to sources cited by India Today, the Chief Justice's response was communicated to both leaders through email. They were informed that the issues they intended to raise were already pending before the Supreme Court, making a meeting on the matter inappropriate.
The sources also said the judiciary could not intervene in the functioning of the government through its administrative role. The leaders were reportedly advised to seek the protection of their fundamental rights through the established judicial process.
The Opposition's agitation centres on allegations that eligible voters have been wrongfully removed from electoral rolls and that the SIR exercise has been used to manipulate voter lists. Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of favouring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and have demanded accountability from Kumar. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that differences of opinion are part of its deliberations and that its decisions are supported by law and follow statutory procedures.
The controversy intensified following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over a period of 10 months, largely concerning decisions related to the SIR exercise.
The Congress has called Monday's demonstration "Chalo Delhi – March for Democracy" and asked participants to assemble at the Connaught Place–Barakhamba Road junction at 1.30 pm before proceeding towards the Supreme Court.
Rahul Gandhi said young people, Opposition parties and civil society groups would participate in the march. He also accused the police and BJP supporters of assaulting peaceful protesters during demonstrations in Delhi on Saturday.
Kharge said the Opposition leaders wanted to seek the Chief Justice's intervention in the matter. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of creating unrest and alleged that the police deployment and detentions during Saturday's agitation reflected the government's apprehension over the protests.
The latest development follows another confrontation between Opposition MPs and the police on Friday, when demonstrators were stopped at Vijay Chowk in New Delhi. Several MPs staged a sit-in, while a 10-member Opposition delegation proceeded to Rashtrapati Bhavan to seek President Droupadi Murmu's intervention over their demand for Kumar's removal.
After meeting the President, Opposition leaders said Murmu had sought evidence of the alleged electoral irregularities and agreed to examine their concerns.
Rahul Gandhi subsequently said he was "shocked" that the President had neither denied nor questioned the allegations. He claimed that evidence of alleged electoral malpractice was known across the country and said the Opposition would submit it to the President.
The proposed march to the Supreme Court is part of the Opposition's continuing campaign seeking changes to the electoral revision process, greater transparency in voter-list preparation and the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. The allegations remain contested, with the Election Commission maintaining that its actions comply with the applicable legal framework.