CJI declines INDIA bloc leaders' request for meeting
What's the story
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has rejected a request for a meeting with leaders of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. The meeting was sought by the duo on October 12 between 4:00-5:00pm to submit a memorandum, Aaj Tak reported. The memorandum included demands such as an end to alleged "vote chori," resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, halting Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and reverting to paper ballots.
Official reply
Issues already sub judice, can't interfere: CJI
The CJI's response was sent via email to both Gandhi and Kharge.
He stated that the issues they wanted to discuss are already sub judice before the Supreme Court.
The court cannot interfere in the administrative functioning of the government, he added.
However, he assured them that they could seek protection of their fundamental rights through judicial proceedings.
Protest details
Protest part of series of demonstrations by Opposition and CJP
The protest by the Opposition and youth group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) demands Kumar's resignation over alleged SIR illegalities.
Gandhi said the march is "not of a political party, but of all Indians," seeking to build pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led government.
The INDIA bloc's demands include repealing a law giving legal immunity to CEC and ECs, suspending SIR, restoring deleted voters, reverting to paper ballots, and annulling recent Assembly elections with evidence of "vote chori."
Ongoing demonstrations
Protests continue across Delhi and other cities
Protests continued across Delhi and other cities, including Mumbai. Police responded with mass detentions, similar to Saturday's crackdown on CJP's Jantar Mantar call.
Issues related to the police's actions are part of petitions listed for hearing in the SC on Tuesday.
The SC had earlier upheld SIR as legal in May, but questions remain over voter deletions affecting 14% of the electorate.
BJP response
BJP slams INDIA bloc over meeting CJI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had already criticized the INDIA bloc's plan to meet the CJI to submit its memorandum.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said CJIs do not meet political delegations as a matter of convention.
He advised the Opposition to pursue legal channels, stating governments are decided by elections, not by cases filed by "rejected" leaders.