Rahul Gandhi and the Supreme Court (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: October 15: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has said that no individual or group can intimidate or threaten the Supreme Court, responding to the controversy surrounding Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s march to the apex court over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
“No one can intimidate or threaten the Supreme Court. These are futile attempts, and no one pays attention to them,” CJI Surya Kant said. He added that the court was aware of what was being said both inside and outside its premises.
“We know what is said outside the court and what is said inside. We are not living in an imaginary world. We are aware of everything,” he said.
The remarks come after Rahul Gandhi led opposition leaders and supporters in a march towards the Supreme Court on October 12. The protest was linked to allegations of irregularities in the voter-list revision process and demands for accountability from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR exercise could result in the wrongful deletion of eligible voters. They have demanded action over the alleged discrepancies and raised questions about the Election Commission’s functioning. These allegations remain contested.
Before the march, Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had sought a meeting with the CJI to submit a memorandum on the Election Commission, alleged student arrests and restrictions affecting public transport during protests.
CJI Surya Kant declined the request, explaining that the issues raised were already pending before the Supreme Court and should be addressed through formal judicial proceedings.
In his communication to the opposition leaders, the CJI said that discussing pending matters through an administrative meeting would be inconsistent with the principle of separation of powers and established judicial propriety. He advised them to approach the court by filing a petition instead.
The CJI also indicated that any petition filed on the issues would be considered at the earliest opportunity in accordance with the law.
The Supreme Court on October 15 issued notices to Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other opposition leaders in connection with a plea challenging the October 12 march. The development brought the protest and the question of maintaining the judiciary’s independence back into focus.
The controversy centres on the distinction between raising concerns through public demonstrations and pursuing grievances through the judicial process. The opposition has maintained that its campaign concerns electoral transparency, while the court’s position has emphasised that pending legal issues must be dealt with through established procedures.
