A post on X from the Kerala Congress unit directed criticism at Chief Justice of India Surya Kant over his comments on law and order in Delhi, prompting Union Minister Kiren Rijiju to contend that the party was acting in ways that weakened constitutional institutions. The content was taken down shortly after it appeared online, and the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee stated that the individual accountable had been relieved of their role.
A party spokesperson attributed to an opposition figure the claim that Congress was working to undermine the constitutional and democratic foundations of the country. Groups holding positions opposed to India have reportedly been coordinating their efforts, according to available accounts.
Rijiju shared an image of the deleted post on X, adding that those who regard themselves as patriotic Indians would come together in solidarity. The Kerala Congress post on social media addressed the Chief Justice by name, urging him to vacate his post if law-and-order matters lay beyond the boundaries of his authority.
The comment traced back to an earlier exchange that Monday, when the Chief Justice of India was asked about ongoing protests in Delhi and the access restrictions put in place ahead of a planned demonstration by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Addressing reporters on the margins of the gathering, Chief Justice Surya Kant characterised the matter as one falling under law and order. "Yeh mera vishay nahin hai" — a phrase translating to a matter falling outside personal jurisdiction — was offered as his position on the situation.
Those remarks surfaced at a time when Delhi had deployed additional security measures, with the CJP's planned demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls drawing closer. Police and security personnel took up positions throughout the city, where public gatherings drew movement restrictions and led to a number of detentions.
Kerala Congress withdrew the post within a short time of it being published. Speaking to reporters, Joseph — who heads the KPCC — said the post had appeared on the party's official X account without the knowledge or authorisation of its leadership, and that the person responsible for the content, which drew objections over its targeting of Supreme Court Chief Justice Surya Kant, had since been removed from their role.
A review into the origins of the post was promised by the KPCC, while party leadership stated that its formal position upholds judicial independence, adding that any social media content at odds with that principle falls outside what the organisation endorses.
Circulation of screenshots across social media platforms kept BJP leaders' opposition to the post active well after the content had been removed. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya put forward the view that the Congress party turns on institutions whenever electoral or court outcomes run counter to its interests, and separately raised the possibility that the judiciary could face similar pressure down the line. He also stated that those who fall short at the ballot box sometimes direct their grievances toward the body responsible for overseeing elections, and that when an adverse ruling arrives, some choose to direct their challenge toward the court itself.
Sudhanshu Trivedi, a BJP member of parliament, also took issue with the post, stating that the Kerala Congress unit had addressed the Chief Justice of India in a manner he considered inappropriate. Trivedi levelled allegations against Rahul Gandhi, contending that Gandhi was either experiencing a breakdown in judgement or had come under the sway of questionable influences to a degree that left him prepared to act in ways that could destabilise public order across India.
Those remarks surfaced against the backdrop of a widening political dispute over the Election Commission's electoral-roll revision process and the management of protests in Delhi. BJP leaders have put forward allegations that the Congress party has worked to weaken constitutional bodies, while the KPCC has moved to separate its leadership from the post that was taken down.
