Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 15: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on a petition filed by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders alleging irregularities in the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also questioned Gandhi over his conduct during a march to the Supreme Court on Monday, stating that he must explain his actions. The bench observed that nobody could browbeat the judiciary.
“The notice on behalf of one of the petitioners will be entertained on a provisional basis, subject to his explaining his conduct,” the court said.
The Supreme Court also sought a response from the Delhi government on the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site. The issue came up during the ongoing demonstrations by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and opposition parties demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
While hearing a petition seeking the restoration of Jantar Mantar's status as a protest venue, the court asked the Delhi government to explain why the site had been de-notified. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the government, informed the bench that a committee had earlier been constituted to examine the possibility of identifying alternative protest sites in the national capital.
“The word ‘heard’ must be used in the perspective of technology also. You have made out a case, you want to indicate Jantar Mantar within the administrative establishment which runs the country,” Justice Bagchi remarked, according to news agency ANI.
The court also issued notice to the Delhi Police over the imposition of Sections 172 and 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, during the protests.
Justice Bagchi noted that the protesters wanted a demonstration site located nearby, while questioning whether physical proximity remained equally important in the age of technology. Responding to the observation, senior advocate N Hariharan remarked, “Going by this logic, one can protest from Kerala.”
The hearing also addressed allegations of sexual violence and harassment involving women journalists during the demonstrations. Mehta said the government supported providing security to all women, including female police personnel. However, he argued that some participants had attended the protests primarily to make social media reels, making it difficult to distinguish journalists from those creating online content.
The observations were made while the Supreme Court was hearing the INDIA bloc's petition seeking Kumar's resignation over alleged electoral irregularities in the SIR process.