Opposition parties are set to hold a protest march to Supreme Court, thouhh CJI declined a meeting over voter theft
Jantar Mantar has been denotified as a designated protest site
CJP gives Delhi police ultimatum over fixing a date for protest
Here's a round up of the latest developments from India on Monday, October 12:
Leader of the opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led INDIA bloc is going to march to the Supreme Court today at 4 p.m. local time (10:30 UTC), intensifying their agitation against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Gandhi urged people to join his "march for democracy" and "march for justice" in a post on X, as he gave the "Chalo Dilli" (Let's go to Delhi) call ahead of the INDIA bloc's planned march to the Supreme Court.
The call for the protest march came a day after forceful, mass detentions of protesters, journalists and lawyers were reported in Delhi on Saturday.
The Cockroach Janta Party has also expressed support for the planned march.
The Congress Party had sought a meeting with the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant to raise the issue of alleged vote theft.
However, the CJI declined the meeting, reportedly citing the matter being sub judice in the Supreme Court.
Hello! This is Midhat from the Delhi studio, bringing you all the important news emerging from India.
The capital continues to witness chaos as protesters demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation persist despite a clampdown by the Delhi Police on the demonstrations over the weekend.
The protests come after a recent report found that Kumar took unilateral decisions that resulted in mass voter deletions, allegedly in violation of law.
The opposition alliance INDIA bloc plans to march to the Supreme Court. It intends to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice of India.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has announced that Jantar Mantar has been delisted as a designated protest site.
Here's a quick recap of what happened in Delhi over the weekend:
On October 2, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced that it will protest at Jantar Mantar — the designated protest site in Delhi – on October 10, demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.
Ahead of the protests, security was beefed up in several parts of Delhi. According to local media reports, over 30,000 security personnel were deployed in Delhi. The internet was suspended within 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) of Jantar Mantar.
On Saturday, the Delhi Police blocked routes to Jantar Mantar to thwart the protests. Roads were lined with buses to detain protesters while parts of Delhi were locked down.
Flash protests emerged in Connaught Place and Safdarjung, where protesters were detained in large numbers and dragged forcefully into buses.
Besides protesters and the CJP leaders, several lawyers and journalists were also reportedly detained by the police.
The police cited a ban on unauthorized public gatherings under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) for the mass detentions.
