Delhi protest LIVE: Rahul Gandhi reaches Supreme Court even as cops thwart march | India News

Delhi protest LIVE: INDIA bloc march to the Supreme Court led by LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has been stopped on Bhagwan Das Road, some 600 meters away from the top court. However, the petition against the Election Commission has been filed by the Congress' legal team with Gandhi as the lead petitioner. Meanwhile, a huge crowd gathered in central Delhi for the INDIA bloc march. Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders, including Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, visited the Parliament Street Police Station today to seek a date for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar against chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The CJP has also given the Delhi Police 24 hours to provide a date to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar.Opposition's march to Supreme CourtOpposition parties marched to the Supreme Court today. Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha LoP Mallikarjun Kharge had earlier sought a meeting with CJI Surya Kant to raise allegations of "vote chori". However, the CJI declined to meet Rahul Gandhi over the allegations.People familiar with the matter said the decision was based on the pending cases before the Supreme Court and the CJI's role in hearing petitions concerning the issue.The Opposition had planned to raise several concerns, including police action against protesters demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, the need for an early hearing of cases linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and the composition of the committee responsible for recommending appointments to the Election Commission.Capital crackdownOn Saturday, authorities carried out an unprecedented security operation and detained more than 7,000 protesters, including CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke and four former chief ministers. The action prevented a planned mass demonstration at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of CEC Kumar.Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site, remained largely deserted throughout the day. More than 30,000 security personnel were deployed, while multiple layers of barricades were set up across Lutyens' Delhi to prevent protesters from reaching the area.On Sunday, more than 200 protesters were detained as they shouted slogans and marched towards Jantar Mantar, with several seen being taken away in police buses. The action came as the CJP's protest entered its second day.The detentions continued into the evening, with protesters being picked up from different locations even after 6.30 pm.Why Gyanesh Kumar is under fireThe protests against Kumar come amid growing criticism of the Election Commission over the SIR of electoral rolls.The controversy gained momentum following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders, some of which they reportedly said were issued without their knowledge.The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the three-member poll panel took all decisions, including those related to the SIR, unanimously.