Police Halt INDIA Bloc March to Supreme Court; Rahul Gandhi Files Writ Against Election Commission

The opposition's campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar moved from the street to the courtroom on Monday. Delhi Police stopped the INDIA bloc's march at barricades on Bhagwan Das Road, close to the Supreme Court. Hours later, opposition leaders filed a formal writ petition in the top court over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The petition, titled Rahul Gandhi v. Election Commission of India, was filed through advocate-on-record S. Prasanna just before the court's filing counter closed for the day. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and several allies, reportedly including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The full text has not yet been made public. It centres on claims of large-scale voter deletions during the SIR.

Why a petition instead of a memorandum

The march, billed as Chalo Dilli – March for Democracy, was originally meant to end with a memorandum handed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. On Sunday, the CJI declined the bloc's request for a meeting, saying related cases were already before the court. He suggested the leaders approach the court through a formal petition rather than an administrative representation.

Monday's filing follows that advice. Rahul Gandhi's legal team reportedly asked the registry for extra time to file in person, and the court allowed a small delegation of leaders to reach the filing counter while the main procession stayed outside the high-security zone.

Who marched

Leaders from across the opposition walked together, including Kharge, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, CPI's D Raja, CPI(M)'s M.A. Baby, Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut and CPI(ML)'s Dipankar Bhattacharya. Activist Yogendra Yadav also joined, along with several hundred supporters. Some leaders climbed onto a vehicle to address the crowd once the barricades halted the procession, and live coverage reported scuffles between protesters and police.

Ahead of the march, the Delhi Metro shut entry and exit gates at six stations and traffic police issued a diversion advisory for central Delhi. It is the opposition's fifth protest in the capital since October 6, and comes a day after the Supreme Court held a rare Sunday sitting on earlier detentions and metro closures.

The government's response

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta accused the opposition of questioning the Election Commission only when it suits them politically. She said India's democratic credibility could not be held hostage to such convenience. She cited an open letter from 124 retired civil servants defending the commission's integrity and backed the SIR as necessary for accurate voter rolls.

What comes next

The case now enters the court's regular process, where it will be listed alongside the SIR challenges already pending. The legal filing gives the opposition a formal forum for its allegations, though the street campaign is not over. Rahul Gandhi has kept up his attacks on the CEC, saying the opposition's real target is whoever he claims is behind the alleged irregularities.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.