Congress could reiterate request for meeting with CJI today
Quick Look
- Congress planned a march to the Supreme Court to meet CJI Surya Kant over the SIR-CEC issue, but the request was declined late Sunday.
- Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi are mobilizing party workers and appealing to citizens, opposition groups, and civil society to join the 'March for Democracy - Dilli Chalo' starting from Barakhambha Road in Delhi, citing concerns over police crackdown and harassment of protesters.
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Why It Matters
Congress had planned a march to the Supreme Court to meet CJI Surya Kant regarding the SIR-CEC issue. The request for appointment was declined late Sunday, prompting the party to consider alternative protest programmes.
NEW DELHI: Congress, which had planned a march to Supreme Court for a meeting with CJI Surya Kant on the SIR-CEC issue Monday, could be forced to engineer another protest programme, with the CJI turning down its request for appointment late Sunday. The Congress brass could reiterate its request for a meeting Monday. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had posted on X that a meeting was scheduled, leading many in the opposition, including legal eagles, to express surprise, saying it would be a first-of-its-kind meet, if it happened. Rahul Gandhi cancelled a campaign event in Goa and returned home after "chhatron ki goonj" in Chennai to oversee the preparations for a massive protest that Congress has planned. He issued a general appeal to citizens, opposition parties and civil society to join the march to SC, saying Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Ajit Doval and Mohan Bhagwat could not "silence India's voice". Rahul said on X that the "March for Democracy - Dilli Chalo" will start from Barakhambha Road, and has asked people to assemble there.
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Slamming the police crackdown on protests, Kharge said what is happening in the capital under the Modi govt did not happen during the Emergency. "We will apprise the CJI of the situation. We cannot demand anything from him, but we will place our concerns before him with folded hands and request his intervention," he had said, adding that he and Rahul have written to CJI. Sources had said the letter to the CJI detailed the key points of the memorandum to be submitted to him, as well as the police crackdown and harassment of protesters by vigilantes. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal asked party workers from all states to converge in the capital for the mega surge. State presidents, including Rao Narender of Haryana, Ganesh Godiyal of Uttarakhand and Govind Dotasara of Rajasthan, issued instructions to party workers to leave for Delhi in large numbers - an indication of the kind of mobilisation the opposition party has set rolling.
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What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Congress will proceed with the 'March for Democracy - Dilli Chalo' from Barakhambha Road as planned.
Likely · Within days
Congress party workers from states like Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan will converge in Delhi in large numbers for the protest.
Likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What is the specific nature of the SIR-CEC issue that prompted the Congress's request for a meeting?
- Will the CJI agree to a rescheduled meeting if Congress reiterates its request?
- What are the exact demands or concerns Congress intends to place before the CJI?
- How effective will the mobilisation of Congress workers from various states be in turning out for the protest?