New Delhi: The protests over the alleged “vote chori” reached the Supreme Court on Monday as Opposition leaders, activists and civil society members took part in a “March for Democracy” through heavily barricaded streets in the national capital.
The INDIA bloc leaders filed a joint petition challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleging large-scale voter deletions and other irregularities. The march passed through Barakhamba Road and crossed police barricades on Bhagwan Dass Road before reaching the Supreme Court.
The petition seeks disclosure of the Election Commission’s files, meeting minutes, objections and digital access logs linked to the SIR decisions. It also seeks safeguards against deleting voters’ names without notice and a fair hearing, publication of details of deleted electors, an independent audit of electoral roll changes and an interim suspension of the ongoing revision process.
The filing followed the INDIA bloc’s ‘March for Democracy’ from central Delhi to the Supreme Court, led by Rahul Gandhi and joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and other Opposition leaders.
Students and activists also joined the march, during which police barricades and heavy deployment affected movement in parts of the capital. All India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora was walking alongside the two leaders during the march.
After the march, Gandhi thanked INDIA bloc leaders, Congress and alliance workers, civil society organisations and supporters who joined the protest.
In a post on X, he said people would not be intimidated and asserted that the Opposition would not back down in its fight against what he called the “killers” of the Constitution and democracy. He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government of using intimidation and alleged that people linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had attacked protesters over the weekend.
In a significant development, Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and named three alternative venues for demonstrations: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi.
The decision drew criticism from Congress leaders and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has been leading protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke warned that the entire country would turn into Jantar Mantar in response to the decision.
The Delhi High Court agreed to hear on Tuesday a petition challenging the de-notification of Jantar Mantar. Another plea concerning allegations that outsiders had entered the weekend protest and harassed demonstrators was also listed for hearing.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation reopened the entry and exit gates of stations that had been closed amid security restrictions linked to the protests. The closure had affected six stations, with the restrictions extended earlier in the day before the eventual reopening.
Meanwhile, traffic crawled across several central Delhi stretches as the Opposition march, police barricades and diversions caused long delays. Congestion was reported around Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Tilak Marg, Copernicus Marg and India Gate, among other areas. Traffic police advised commuters to use alternative routes and allow extra time for their journeys.
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar demanded that the SIR exercise be scrapped and ballot papers restored. He alleged that voter-removal applications had targeted minority and disadvantaged communities in Karnataka.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described the Opposition’s mobilisation as a “victory of democracy” and said the Supreme Court should examine the disputed electoral-roll revision process. The Opposition has argued that the exercise risks excluding eligible voters, while the Election Commission’s decisions are the subject of the petition.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, meanwhile, defended the SIR and challenged Rahul Gandhi to boycott elections if the Congress did not trust Gyanesh Kumar’s leadership of the Election Commission. He also accused the Opposition of staging a “manufactured” protest.