'March to SC': Here's what Rahul Gandhi announced for Monday's protest

Opposition parties will march to the Supreme Court on Monday to raise allegations of “vote chori”, with Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge seeking a meeting with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to submit a memorandum.

Gandhi said opposition parties, civil society groups and young people would join the march to demand an end to alleged electoral malpractice, the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, a halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and a return to paper ballots.

In a post on X, Gandhi said the march would bring together Indians across party, gender, caste, community and state lines.

“Yesterday, the nation's young came out in Delhi to peacefully protest. They came with love in their hearts, not hatred or anger. They were beaten, both by cops and BJP goons. This is not the India we want,” he said, referring to Saturday’s protests and alleging that demonstrators were assaulted by police and BJP workers.

“Tomorrow, we will march to the Supreme Court as Indians, united beyond party, gender, caste, community and state,” Gandhi added.

Gandhi said the march would include opposition parties, civil society groups and others who believed in democracy and supported the Constitution.

Kharge said he and Gandhi had written to the CJI seeking an appointment between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday to present their concerns.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kharge said they would request the CJI’s intervention on the “vote chori” issue.

“We have sought a time between 4 and 5 pm. We will also apprise him, as we cannot demand. Only with folded hands, we can request him,” he said.

Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah of creating chaos across the country. He said the deployment of large numbers of security personnel and the detentions during Saturday’s protests reflected the government’s concern over the youth-led agitation.

Kharge claimed that around 32,000 police personnel and 7,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel had been deployed in Delhi on Saturday. He also alleged that roads were blocked, communication channels disrupted, airport access restricted and mobile networks shut down.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal criticised the police action, alleging that journalists, independent bloggers and YouTubers, including women, had been detained and assaulted. He accused the Delhi Police of allowing groups aligned with the ruling regime to attack protesters.

Another Congress general secretary, Jairam Ramesh, alleged that the use of force against students, young people and opposition leaders undermined democratic institutions and the Constitution.

The planned march follows a series of opposition protests against Kumar and alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission.

On Friday, leaders of several INDIA bloc parties marched from Parliament to Vijay Chowk and submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu.

The protests intensified on Saturday after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for Kumar’s resignation. More than 7,000 people, including opposition leaders and activists, were detained at multiple locations in Delhi, according to the report. Restrictions were also imposed on metro and train services, while internet services were suspended in parts of the capital.

Opposition parties have accused the BJP and the prime minister of electoral malpractice and have demanded Kumar’s removal.

The INDIA bloc has also drawn attention to reported disagreements within the Election Commission over the SIR of electoral rolls. Last week, the opposition finalised a joint action plan on the issue, including rallies and “save democracy” marches.