New Delhi, October 2026 : Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has declined a request from the Congress-led INDIA bloc of Opposition parties for a meeting, advising its leaders to approach the Supreme Court through a formal petition instead, ahead of their proposed march to the court on Monday.
According to sources, the CJI conveyed that the issues the Opposition leaders intended to raise were already sub judice and were being considered by the Supreme Court. He reportedly said that the court could not meet a delegation representing a political party at the administrative level in the manner requested.
The CJI is learnt to have emphasised that the judiciary's responsibility was to hear petitions and deliver judgments in accordance with the law. He also reiterated that the Supreme Court remained accessible to citizens and committed to safeguarding their fundamental rights.
The proposed march is expected to proceed despite the refusal. It forms part of a wider campaign by Opposition parties seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and other concerns relating to the electoral process.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has described the proposed demonstration as an initiative that goes beyond party politics. He has maintained that the march is “not of a political party, but of all Indians”.
Gandhi has alleged that the government benefited from the SIR exercise, which has become a major source of confrontation between the Opposition and the Election Commission. The Election Commission's handling of electoral roll revisions has faced sustained scrutiny from Opposition parties.
Last Friday, the INDIA bloc submitted a charter of demands to President Droupadi Murmu, setting out four key demands concerning electoral reforms and alleged vote manipulation.
The demands include the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, repeal of the 2023 law providing legal protection to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners in the discharge of their official duties, an immediate suspension of the SIR exercise, and restoration of all 13.3 crore voters whom the Opposition claims were deleted from electoral rolls.
The allegations and demands have intensified the political dispute over the revision of electoral rolls, with Opposition parties calling for greater accountability and safeguards to protect voters' rights.
Earlier on Sunday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the legal protection provided to the CEC and Election Commissioners under the 2023 legislation. He alleged that the government had introduced the law to shield election officials from legal action.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought the 2023 Act to protect the Chief Election Commissioner and members. That immunity he gave,” Kharge said, arguing that comparable immunity was not available to the President of India or the Chief Justice of India.
The INDIA bloc's proposed march is intended to press its demands before the country's highest court. However, the CJI's reported response indicates that the Opposition must pursue its concerns through established judicial procedures rather than an administrative meeting with the court's leadership.
The Supreme Court's consideration of any such petition would depend on its formal filing and the applicable judicial process.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
