Supreme Court of India responds to opposition march and electoral roll plea

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant addressed a plea regarding a political march to the Supreme Court premises on October 12, led by Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders. During the hearing, the Chief Justice stated, “Nobody can browbeat us,” and remarked that the judiciary is not so weak that it can be intimidated by such attempts.

The march was conducted by leaders of the INDIA bloc to protest alleged irregularities and large-scale voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The bench, including Justice Joymalya Bagchi, issued notices to Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, among others.

The court is also considering a plea that challenges the Election Commission of India’s SIR process. Petitioners, represented by senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, argued that the political procession within the court premises was unacceptable and sought a ban on political demonstrations inside the complex, alongside contempt proceedings for those obstructing the judicial system.