Supreme Court hears plea from INDIA alliance MPs amid massive crowd
The Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have been made parties in the case.
The Congress party has filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday against the discrepancies in the SIR process. The petitioners include Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, and 11 other opposition leaders.
According to Live Law, the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have been made parties in the case. Earlier, opposition leaders marched from Barakhamba to the Supreme Court. In the nearly one-kilometer-long march, opposition leaders traveled by bus, on foot, and in vehicles. All Congress Chief Ministers also participated in the march. Before the march, Rahul Gandhi held a 40-minute press conference where he stated that the opposition's march is like the procession of Lord Shiva, and anyone can join.
On Tuesday, opposition MPs wrote to Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud requesting time to submit a memorandum. However, the CJI refused to meet them and asked them to file a petition.
The petition by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was filed in the Supreme Court at 4:37 PM. He has demanded the retrieval of records related to the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process and the formation of a committee to investigate the online voter registration process. Eleven leaders have filed a petition against the ECI in the Supreme Court.
It is noteworthy that buses carrying MPs of the INDIA alliance for the proposed march against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar departed from the Constitution Club of India on Monday. The MPs will first reach Barakhamba Road and then march towards the Supreme Court, located about two kilometers away on Tilak Marg. Workers from various opposition parties also gathered at the site.
Under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, opposition parties are marching towards the Supreme Court to raise the issue of 'vote theft'. Rahul Gandhi had earlier stated that he would file a petition against 'vote theft' in the Supreme Court at 3 PM.
Live Update-
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and Tejashwi Yadav are moving forward for the march, standing on the roof of an open vehicle.
According to PTI, the police have set up barricades on Bhagwan Das Road to stop the opposition's march. Representatives of the INDIA alliance will file a petition in the Supreme Court demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, an immediate halt to the SIR process, and an end to police repression against democratic voices.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and MPs from the INDIA alliance have begun a protest march in the Lok Sabha. The alliance has decided to march to the Supreme Court today. They have also announced that they will file a petition in the Supreme Court regarding the case against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and their allegations related to the SIR process.
Rahul Gandhi's legal team has arrived at the Supreme Court. The team has requested additional time to file a petition regarding the ongoing protests in New Delhi and issues related to discrepancies in the ECI.
The opposition's march to the Supreme Court against the SIR and CEC Gyanesh Kumar has begun. Rahul and other opposition leaders are marching on foot after getting off the bus. Among them are Mallikarjun Kharge, Tejashwi Yadav, and AISA leader Neha Bora.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said,
"We are demanding justice, and nothing else. This is for the people, for humanity, for justice... We need justice and nothing else."
During the INDIA alliance's protest, Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Wading said,
“If the Chief Justice of India does not meet us, then who will listen to the people's complaints? We urge the Chief Justice to meet us.”
There has been an unprecedented turnout at the opposition march by MPs of the INDIA alliance.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said,
The movement and protests will continue indefinitely. Our responsibility is to save democracy, and the BJP wants to destroy the Constitution and democracy in collusion with the Election Commission, wanting to remain in power forever... The government should listen to us and remove the Chief Election Commissioner... The BJP should accept its mistakes... Our struggle will continue.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and some other leaders of the INDIA alliance will be allowed to enter the Supreme Court premises to file the petition. The Supreme Court administration has agreed that 5 to 10 leaders can file the petition at the filing counter located within the court premises along with their lawyers.
This counter is located outside the high-security area. Common people can also access it without an entry pass.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, "Gyanesh Kumar must definitely resign."
Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said,
"They want to suppress the voices of the people; in a democracy, the voices of the people can never be suppressed... They are scared."
Lawyers have also arrived to join the opposition's march.
Senior lawyer and Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said,
This is not a protest march. We are going to a matter of principle. All different political parties will file petitions in the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, leaders of the Cockroach People's Party (CJP), including Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, have reached the Parliament Street police station today to demand a date for a peaceful protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi held a 40-minute press conference. He stated that the opposition's march is like the procession of Lord Shiva, and anyone can join. When asked about talking to Gyanesh Kumar, Rahul Gandhi said that yes, he receives messages from him. He is also watching this press conference.
Opposition MPs had written to Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud requesting time to submit a memorandum. The CJI stated that the doors of the Supreme Court are open to all. Any common citizen or elected representative can file a petition. The court will listen to their problems and act according to the law.
At the Constitutional Club, several MPs, including SP's Dharmendra Yadav, Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) leaders Sanjay Raut, Arvind Sawant, JMM's Mahua Maji, and TMC's Mahua Moitra, gathered. They raised slogans against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
RJD MP Manoj Jha stated that a petition has been filed before. The Chief Justice knows everything. He is explaining the procedures. There is no resentment towards him. In this dark period, he is the light.
SP MP Dharmendra Yadav said that this is not a show of strength, but a demand from the entire country. People across the country are protesting against the government.
CPI MP Sandosh Kumar has written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah protesting against the detention of journalists covering the protests in Delhi.
He stated, “The repeated assertion by the police that journalists must have PIB accreditation to cover the protests is absurd and unacceptable. The current accreditation guidelines do not align with the changing media landscape.”
Meanwhile, several Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal region were detained by local police when they were preparing to leave for Delhi to participate in the proposed opposition 'Delhi March for Democracy' on Monday. Morena rural district Congress president Madhuraj Singh Tomar, district president Gajendra Jatav, and Bhind district president Dharmendra Bhadauria were staying with workers at a hotel in Morena on Sunday night. It is alleged that late at night, the police arrived at the hotel and forcibly took the leaders and workers with them.
However, the police have not yet issued any official statement regarding the basis for the action and the duration of the detention.
Before the Congress protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the entry and exit gates of six metro stations in Delhi—Janpath, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Central Secretariat, Rajiv Chowk, and Patel Chowk—will remain closed until 4 PM on Monday. According to DMRC, interchange facilities will be available at all these stations. Security agencies will review the situation and will issue further information thereafter.