The Congress could reiterate its request for a meeting with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday after he turned down the party’s request to discuss the SIR and Chief Election Commissioner issues on Sunday night, with the opposition party likely to organise another round of protests, The Times of India reported.
CJI Surya Kant declined to meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the matter, adding that similar matters are sub judice on the judicial side in the Supreme Court, as per local media reports.
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Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had written to the CJI seeking a meeting with him between 4 and 5 pm to hand over a memorandum that included demands like: an end to “vote chori”, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, halting of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and switching back to the paper ballot format.
In response to the request, Kant said that no orders can be passed on the administrative side, and asked the Congress leader to file a petition on the judicial side that may be taken up on Tuesday, as per the reports.
Gandhi, in a post on platform X, said that the "March for Democracy - Dilli Chalo" will start from Barakhambha Road, and has asked people to assemble there.
Moreover, Kharge criticised the police crackdown on protesters, saying the situation in the national capital under the PM Narendra Modi government was worse than during the Emergency.
He had said he and Rahul Gandhi would approach CJI with their concerns and seek his intervention, while acknowledging that they could only make a request.
A TOI report, citing sources, said the letter to CJI Surya Kant outlined the key points of the memorandum the Congress leaders intended to submit, along with concerns over the police crackdown and alleged harassment of protesters by vigilantes.