Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 12 October raised objections to the INDIA bloc's declared intention — alongside Rahul Gandhi — of marching to the Supreme Court and requesting an audience with the Chief Justice of India, contending that such an action placed constitutional frameworks under strain and would draw a response.
At a press briefing in Nagpur, Fadnavis aligned himself with the Supreme Court's position that disputes ought to be taken through established legal procedures rather than resolved through street demonstrations. Drawing a parallel to the Emergency period declared by Indira Gandhi's government in 1975, he put forward the view that the Congress party had repeatedly acted against constitutional principles, before turning to address Rahul Gandhi directly and noting that the Constitution itself was the work of Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Fadnavis argued that a 1975 amendment to parliamentary law had removed the avenue through which citizens could turn to the courts for protection of their fundamental rights — provisions he identified as among the most consequential that Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar placed into the constitutional framework — and that the impetus behind that legislative move lay with Indira Gandhi. He noted that opposition parties had at that time joined forces in resistance and ultimately succeeded in protecting the constitution that Babasaheb had drafted.
Fadnavis declared that regardless of how many demonstrations were mounted against the Constitution, efforts to undermine it would not be permitted to succeed, and that the document associated with Babasaheb would remain protected. Opponents, he noted, argue that certain behaviour conflicts with constitutional protections and therefore falls outside what the country's legal and civic institutions are prepared to recognise.
Fadnavis stated that the Constitution and democratic institutions would be defended, directing that message at Rahul Gandhi, before turning to the march itself and questioning the logic of approaching the Supreme Court to request a meeting with the Chief Justice. He noted that no constitutional provision appears to require the Chief Justice to step outside and engage directly with a protest march.
Fadnavis expressed the view that the apex court had acted appropriately in directing those with grievances to pursue remedies through established legal procedures. He also took issue with the opposition alliance's allegations that key constitutional institutions had engaged in wrongdoing.
Fadnavis called on Congress to examine its own leadership rather than attributing electoral defeats to voting machines. A party statement took issue with what it described as coordinated efforts by the Congress party and its opposition alliance to undermine constitutional institutions and erode public confidence in the judiciary.
He further argued that the party would do well to look inward at its own strategic direction rather than pointing to voting technology as the cause of repeated losses at the ballot box. He went on to allege that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party have consistently sought to weaken and circulate unverified claims about the constitutional institutions that Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar played a central role in shaping as pillars of democratic governance.
Fadnavis put forward the position that the organisation concerned had been actively working to erode trust in key constitutional institutions — the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, the CAG, and the RBI — driven, he argued, by a deep-seated scepticism toward both the constitutional order and the principles of democratic governance.
A procession toward the Supreme Court on 12 October drew Rahul Gandhi, serving as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, alongside Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, with both walking under the banner of the INDIA bloc. Opposition parties are drafting a formal court petition centred on procedural objections to the Single Integrated Request process and calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to be held accountable.
Tens of thousands of political workers and civil rights advocates took part in the rally, with their movement through areas including Mandi House and Barakhamba Road bringing traffic and activity in those parts of the capital to a standstill. Neha Bora, who heads the All India Students' Association, joined the march alongside other participants.
Attorneys representing Rahul Gandhi brought a request before the Supreme Court registry, asking for additional time to lodge a writ petition in person addressing demonstration-related matters in New Delhi that centred on purported misconduct by the Election Commission of India.
