Rahul Gandhi, alongside other Opposition figures, led a procession to the Supreme Court on Monday, calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and an end to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, with the group citing concerns about irregularities in the voting process.
The rally, convened under the INDIA alliance's banner, proceeded despite Chief Justice Surya Kant's decision not to meet an Opposition delegation that Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had been scheduled to lead. The Opposition had formally sought time to table a memorandum addressing three matters: alleged removals from voter rolls, the conduct of the Election Commission of India, and police action directed at protesters in Delhi.
Unverified accounts indicate that the Chief Justice pointed to pending related matters before the Supreme Court as grounds for directing the leaders toward formal legal channels rather than an administrative audience. That decision left the Opposition's stated intention to march on the highest court intact.
Congress general secretary Venugopal told reporters the party respected the Chief Justice's ruling while affirming that its demonstration had grown into something broader than a single protest action. Venugopal described the movement as one aimed at upholding the foundational values and principles on which the country operates.
Ahead of the Monday gathering, Gandhi called on youth organisations, opposition parties, and civil society groups to attend, describing the event as one that extends beyond any single political formation, and told prospective attendees that they would march together in a spirit of unity and shared national purpose. Writing in a Sunday post on X, Gandhi indicated that citizens across the country would gather at the Supreme Court the following day.
The opposition leader in the Lok Sabha outlined three core aims behind the planned march: a halt to what those taking part alleged was vote-rigging, suspension of the SIR process, and the removal of Kumar from his position.
Opposition parties led by the Congress have formally raised concerns with the Election Commission, alleging that widespread removal of names from voter rolls has undermined the reliability of the electoral process. The voter-list revision exercise is defended by the Election Commission as a tool for keeping electoral rolls free of errors.
On Monday, the march added to several days of street-level demonstrations that had already been under way in the capital, with police detaining a number of participants — including those demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. Gandhi raised objections to the conduct of officers at the scene, stating that those who had gathered had done so with peaceful intentions rather than any hostile or aggressive purpose.
Reported accounts describe physical assaults carried out against participants by both police personnel and individuals linked to the BJP. Gandhi expressed opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party, stating that the country's current direction did not reflect the India he wished to see.
The BJP denied the Opposition's claims and put forward the position that rival parties were working to foment civil disorder.
