India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has turned down a meeting with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, who sought an appointment to raise the issue of alleged election malpractice in the run-up to INDIA bloc’s planned march to the Supreme Court on Monday.
Sources at India Today say the two Lok Sabha opposition leaders had sought a meeting between 4 pm and 5 pm on October 12 to submit a memorial on the issue of alleged ‘Vote Chori’. The Congress leaders also demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and a switch to paper ballots.
Chief Justice Surya Kant declined a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge regarding election malpractice, stating the issues are before the Supreme Court. Opposition parties planned a march to the court and had previously presented concerns to President Murmu, who requested evidence.
The Chief Justice declined the meeting via email, sources said. The mail is said to have indicated that the matters the opposition leaders wanted to raise with him were already pending before the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice also stated that he could not use his administrative powers to intervene in the working of the government. The leaders were advised to move the court legally to get redressal for any alleged violations of fundamental rights.
Opposition Steps Up Attack Against SIR
The electoral rolls tussle has been a flashpoint issue between the Opposition and Election Commission. Opposition parties have alleged that eligible voters have been removed wrongly in the course of the SIR exercise and questioned the neutrality of the poll body.
The controversy has also focused on the fact that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had noted objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months — with several reportedly related to SIR-related decisions.
The Election Commission has defended its decision-making process, saying that differences can arise during deliberations between commissioners, and that its orders conform to law and procedure.
Congress Announces Delhi March
The Congress has named the event ‘Chalo Delhi – March for Democracy’, asking supporters to assemble at the Connaught Place-Barakhamba Road junction at 1.30 pm on Monday.
Rahul Gandhi said the rally would get together opposition parties, young people and members of civil society and participants will head to the Supreme Court. He also alleged that peaceful demonstrators had been assaulted by police personnel and BJP supporters during Saturday’s events in Delhi.
Mallikarjun Kharge said the leaders wanted to take the issues before the Chief Justice and seek his intervention. He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing the government of creating unrest. Kharge linked the police deployment and detentions during Saturday’s protest to the authorities’ reaction to the Opposition’s campaign.
President Murmu Meets Opposition Delegation
The Opposition’s latest initiative came after a meeting between a delegation and President Droupadi Murmu on Friday. Police had stopped opposition MPs near Vijay Chowk, leading to a sit-in by several lawmakers. A 10-member delegation then went to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The delegation sought the intervention of the President over the issue of the demand for Gyanesh Kumar’s removal. After the meeting, opposition leaders said Murmu had asked them to submit evidence of the alleged election malpractice and agreed to look into their concerns.
Rahul Gandhi expressed surprise that the President had not rejected or questioned the allegations. He said there was evidence of alleged electoral manipulation across the country and said the Opposition would submit it to her.
