Opposition Calls Unprecedented Supreme Court March After Mass Delhi Protests and Detentions

Protests and Supreme Court March

Opposition parties plan an unprecedented march to the Supreme Court on Monday following a massive police crackdown that turned central Delhi into a fortress. The demonstration targets the Modi-Shah administration and demands the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. INDIA bloc leaders will submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice of India seeking intervention in what they describe as a democratic crisis.

Mass Detentions and Crackdown

Delhi Police detained nearly 2,500 protesters on Saturday alongside around 1,000 preventive detentions overnight, disrupting public transport and rail and Metro services. High-profile figures including Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who was placed in a prison van from South Avenue, and various youth leaders faced detention. The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner expressed concern over the mass arrests, a statement the government rejected.

Political Reactions

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused the ruling establishment of turning the nation into a muzzled democracy through arrests, lathis, and pellets. Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating the administration cannot suppress their movement. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other regional leaders joined the chorus questioning the Election Commission's impartiality and demanding Kumar step down.

Context

The Cockroach Janta Party is a political pressure group leading the current agitation against the Election Commission's recent voter roll revisions. Mass protests and subsequent police crackdowns in the national capital frequently draw intervention from the apex court via writ petitions when constitutional rights and freedom of assembly are challenged.