India's opposition turned a street protest into a courtroom battle on Monday. As thousands of supporters gathered in central Delhi, eleven leaders of the INDIA bloc formally filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India and its three election commissioners — the sharpest escalation yet in the fight over alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The INDIA bloc petition against CEC Gyanesh Kumar marks a turning point. For days the confrontation played out on the streets — with mass detentions, barricades and a capital under heavy security. Now, after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined to meet the opposition leaders and told them to come through the courts, the dispute has arrived at the Supreme Court's filing counter.
Petition filed: 11 leaders challenge the Election Commission
According to the Times of India, a total of eleven opposition leaders are petitioners in the plea filed on Monday. The list includes Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, Left leaders M.A. Baby and D. Raja, Mahua Majhi of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Supriya Sule of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), and E.T. Mohammed Basheer of the Indian Union Muslim League.
The petition challenges the SIR process, alleges large-scale voter deletions, and seeks the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The New Indian Express reported that Rahul Gandhi filed a writ petition in the top court seeking urgent intervention, after the Chief Justice pointed out that related petitions concerning the SIR and the Election Commission's functioning were already listed for hearing on Tuesday, October 13.
Once a delegation of five to ten leaders reached the court, the Supreme Court administration allowed them to enter the premises and file their petition at the filing counter inside the complex — a section that sits outside the high-security zone and is open to the public without entry passes, Hindustan Times reported, citing senior reporter Utkarsh Anand.
March stopped at Bhagwan Das Road
The march never reached the court gates. Opposition leaders assembled at the Constitution Club, boarded buses and a mini truck, and rolled toward the Supreme Court through a massive crowd — Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra riding atop a mini truck with other leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Police stopped the procession near Bhagwan Das Road, about 600 metres from the Supreme Court, where barricades had been placed across the route. The Times of India reported that police added more barricades as the crowd swelled, and some protesters climbed the barricades near Barakhamba Road. A large group of lawyers, including Rahul Gandhi's legal team and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, waited outside the Supreme Court for the delegation to arrive.
The Chief Justice's letter — and why he declined a meeting
Over the weekend, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Chief Justice Surya Kant seeking a meeting between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday to hand over a memorandum demanding an end to alleged "vote chori", Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, a halt to the SIR and a return to paper ballots.
The Chief Justice declined. In a letter sent on Sunday, Justice Kant said "convening a meeting to discuss pending cases would wholly contravene the principle of separation of powers, an intrinsic facet of the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution of India, and would be incompatible with the established ethics and judicial propriety," Hindustan Times reported.
Speaking to reporters on Monday after the NHRC's 33rd Foundation Day function, the Chief Justice struck a different tone. "The Supreme Court's doors are open to everyone. Any petition from any common citizen or member of an elected body is welcome. Every Indian citizen has the right to approach the court, and we will hear their concerns and grant whatever is due under the law," he said, according to NDTV.
Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring urged the Chief Justice to reconsider: "If the Chief Justice of India will not meet us, then who will listen to the grievances of the public. We urge the Chief Justice of India to meet us."
Jantar Mantar denotified as a protest site
In a parallel development, Delhi Police issued a standing order denotifying Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue. According to the Times of India, Standing Order No. L&O/48/2026 designates three new venues for demonstrations — Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. The order says the decision follows recommendations by a committee set up by the Union home ministry to examine alternative venues, and partially modifies the 2022 order that had made Jantar Mantar the capital's protest site.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), whose weekend protest started this confrontation, called the move "unacceptable" and an assault on the right to peaceful assembly. "We do not accept this arbitrary decision. It is an assault on people's fundamental right to protest and peaceful assembly. Ab poora desh Jantar Mantar ban raha he (now the whole country is becoming Jantar Mantar)," the party said in a statement.
The Delhi High Court is set to hear a plea challenging the closure of Jantar Mantar for peaceful protests on Tuesday, October 13. A separate petition concerning the October 10-11 protests was not granted an urgent hearing, with the court noting the Supreme Court is already seized of the matter.
Detentions, metro shutdown and a Kerala resolution
Security dominated the day. Aam Aadmi Party leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj were detained while marching from the party office toward Connaught Place in a separate protest against the CEC; Hindustan Times reported Gopal Rai and party MLAs were also picked up. Several Congress leaders from Madhya Pradesh's Chambal region were detained overnight at a hotel in Morena while preparing to leave for Delhi, with no official statement from police about the basis for the action.
An FIR was registered over an alleged AAP protest near Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, and twelve journalists covering the protests were detained, prompting CPI MP Sandosh Kumar to write to Union Home Minister Amit Shah against what he called obstructions to independent reporting.
For commuters, six metro stations — Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat and Barakhamba Road — were closed for entry and exit from 6 am to 4 pm before reopening in the evening. Advocates at the Delhi High Court lawn read the preamble of the Constitution in protest against the police action, and the Delhi High Court Bar Association announced its members would wear black ribbons while appearing in court.
Outside Delhi, the pressure grew: the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on Monday seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. In Chennai, Rahul Gandhi used a press conference to attack the poll chief directly — "You will not escape as Election Commissioner because of what is happening," he said — and claimed that "200 officials" of the government, including those in the ED, CBI and Foreign Ministry, were in touch with the opposition. The BJP and the government have not accepted any of the opposition's allegations, and Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan dismissed the march as "drama".
Why it matters
This is no longer just a street agitation — it is now a live Supreme Court case. The opposition has moved its claims of electoral malpractice from barricades to briefs, and with SIR-related petitions already listed for Tuesday, the courtroom calendar will decide the next phase faster than the streets could. The fight has also pulled in institutions: a Chief Justice drawing a line on the separation of powers, a High Court weighing the right to protest, and a state assembly demanding the election chief's removal.
For ordinary readers, the stakes are practical as well as political. The SIR process the opposition wants stopped decides how voter lists are prepared for upcoming polls, and "vote chori" has become the central theme of the INDIA bloc's campaign against the BJP. How the court handles the petition — and how the police handle the next announced protest — will shape both.
What happens next
Tuesday is the big day. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear pending petitions on the SIR and the Election Commission's functioning, and the opposition's new plea could be tagged along. The Delhi High Court will hear the plea against the Jantar Mantar closure and the Youth Congress's protest-permission petition, with police asked to respond by Tuesday.
The CJP has given Delhi Police 24 hours to fix a date for a fresh protest at Jantar Mantar after its leaders visited the Parliament Street police station on Monday. If permission is denied, the group has said it will decide its next course of action — setting up another confrontation. And with the opposition vowing to continue the agitation until Gyanesh Kumar resigns, Delhi is likely to see more marches, more barricades and more courtroom drama in the days ahead.
Key Takeaways
- Eleven INDIA bloc leaders filed a Supreme Court petition on October 12 against the Election Commission and its three election commissioners, challenging the SIR of voter rolls and seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar's removal.
- Police stopped the opposition's march about 600 metres from the Supreme Court at Bhagwan Das Road; a 5-10 leader delegation was allowed in to file the petition at the court's filing counter.
- CJI Surya Kant declined a 4-5 pm meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, citing the separation of powers — but said "the Supreme Court's doors are open to everyone" through a petition.
- Delhi Police denotified Jantar Mantar as a protest site under Standing Order L&O/48/2026, naming Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground as alternatives; the CJP called it "unacceptable".
- AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj were detained in a parallel protest; six metro stations shut from 6 am to 4 pm; Delhi HC lawyers read the preamble in protest.
- The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution seeking the CEC's removal; the Supreme Court hears SIR petitions on Tuesday, October 13.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who filed the petition against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in the Supreme Court?
Eleven opposition leaders are petitioners: Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Saugata Roy, Sanjay Raut, M.A. Baby, D. Raja, Mahua Majhi, Supriya Sule and E.T. Mohammed Basheer. The plea names the Election Commission of India and its three election commissioners, challenges the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, and seeks the Chief Election Commissioner's removal.
Why did the Chief Justice decline to meet Rahul Gandhi?
Chief Justice Surya Kant declined the request for a 4-5 pm administrative meeting, saying discussing pending cases outside court would contravene the separation of powers and judicial propriety. He advised the opposition to file a petition instead, noting related SIR matters were already listed for Tuesday. His office communicated the reasons in a letter sent on Sunday.
Is Jantar Mantar still a protest site?
No. Delhi Police's Standing Order L&O/48/2026 denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue and named three alternatives: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi. The order says it follows a Union home ministry committee's recommendations and modifies the April 2022 order. The CJP has challenged the move, and the Delhi High Court hears a plea against it on October 13.
What is "vote chori" and why is the opposition protesting?
"Vote chori" means vote theft. The opposition alleges irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls — including large-scale voter deletions — and accuses the Election Commission of acting in the BJP's favour. It demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, a halt to the SIR and a return to paper ballots. The Election Commission says its decisions were unanimous; the BJP rejects the allegations as attempts to create chaos.
Were people detained during the October 12 march?
Yes. AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Saurabh Bharadwaj were detained while marching toward Connaught Place in a separate protest, and Congress leaders from Madhya Pradesh were detained overnight in Morena while heading to Delhi. Over the weekend, thousands were detained across Delhi — Hindustan Times reported more than 7,000 on Saturday — and twelve journalists covering the protests were picked up, drawing a protest letter from CPI MP Sandosh Kumar to the Home Minister.
What happens next in the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear pending petitions on the SIR and the Election Commission's functioning on Tuesday, October 13, and the opposition's new plea could be heard alongside them. The Chief Justice has said any fresh petition will be heard and granted "whatever is due under the law". Separately, the Delhi High Court takes up the Jantar Mantar closure plea and the Youth Congress's protest-permission petition on the same day.
Sources
- Hindustan Times — "Delhi protest LIVE: INDIA bloc march halted at barricaded road 600 meters away from Supreme Court" (October 12, 2026)
- The Times of India — "Delhi SIR Protest Live" (October 12, 2026)
- NDTV — "Supreme Court Doors Open: Chief Justice On Saying No To INDIA Bloc Meeting" (October 12, 2026)
Related reading on GlobalDeskNews: Chalo Delhi March for Democracy: What to Know Today; Rahul Gandhi Detained at Jantar Mantar as CEC Protest Explodes; CJP Protest Day 2: Over 100 Detained in Delhi Crackdown.
By GlobalDeskNews Staff — October 12, 2026