Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi announced on Sunday that a coalition of opposition parties, civil society groups, and young people planned to march to the Supreme Court the following day, carrying a memorandum addressed to the Chief Justice. The memorandum called for an end to what the groups characterised as electoral irregularities, a halt to the Special Intensive Revision process, and the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from his post.
Gandhi described the planned march as one that would draw participants across party lines, with no distinction drawn by gender, caste, community, or the state they came from. In a social media post, he expressed the view that young people, opposition parties, civil society organisations, and those committed to democratic principles and the Indian Constitution would join the movement.
With the march to the Supreme Court planned for Monday, Chief Justice Surya Kant directed the opposition INDIA bloc — a Congress-led coalition of parties — to formalise any grievances through a petition rather than a face-to-face meeting. Unnamed sources indicated that the Chief Justice had communicated to opposition leaders that the matters they planned to bring forward were already before the Supreme Court and under active judicial consideration.
According to reports, the Chief Justice indicated that receiving a political party's delegation through administrative channels of that kind falls outside what the court is able to accommodate. A statement attributed to him conveyed that petitions brought before the courts exist to be heard, with judgments standing as the proper outcome of that process. The statement also reiterated his position that the nation's apex court is accessible around the clock to any person seeking relief, with the protection of fundamental rights remaining a standing obligation of that institution.
Convening in an extraordinary session on Sunday, the court laid down that detention of any individual must conform strictly to legally established procedure, and that gatherings conducted peacefully and without arms, in locations not covered by prohibitory orders, cannot lawfully be met with arbitrary arrest or confinement.
A two-judge panel — Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana presiding — issued an order requiring metro and rail services to operate on their normal schedules, with any curtailment permissible only where public order disturbances make restrictions necessary under the grounds set out in Article 19(2) of the Constitution. The bench ordered that residents moving through the city face no restrictions beyond those already imposed by traffic rules.
A review of barricading practices was ordered by the court, which indicated its preference against indiscriminate placement of barriers while instructing that any reassessment account for both public order requirements and prevailing traffic conditions. A ruling from the bench also placed connectivity protections on internet access, barring any disruption to those services.
Six metro stations in Delhi had their entry and exit points shut between 6 AM and 4 PM on Monday, 12 October, with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) citing security considerations as the basis for the temporary closure. A review of the situation by security agencies was indicated by the DMRC, with any resulting updates to be communicated once that assessment was complete. Transfer connections would be kept in place across all the metro stations involved.
The six stations affected were Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, and Barakhamba Road.
A traffic advisory from Delhi Police outlined expected route changes and service interruptions at several points around the city that Monday. Traffic diversions were set to take effect from 6 AM, with the exact scope left open to adjustment based on conditions as they developed, the notice stated. Traffic along a number of junctions, elevated roadways, and thoroughfares spanning New Delhi and Central Delhi was expected to face disruption.
Travellers heading through New Delhi and Central Delhi toward railway stations, inter-state bus terminals, or the airport were urged by traffic police to factor in extra time and map out their routes before setting off. Residents were urged to limit travel to what was necessary, while officers indicated that traffic controls would be reviewed and adjusted as conditions on the ground developed.
Police took more than 100 people into custody on Sunday as a group marched toward Jantar Mantar, with a number of those apprehended loaded onto police buses. Members of several student organisations — the Students Federation of India, the All India Students Association, and the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan among them, together with affiliated supporters — were detained by police as the groups made their way along routes heading toward Jantar Mantar from different parts of the city.
When INDIA bloc leaders sought a direct meeting with Chief Justice Surya Kant to hand over a representation concerning alleged electoral irregularities, he directed them instead toward the formal petition route, noting that the matter had already come before the courts.