Supreme Court orders halt to illegal detentions and restoration of Delhi transport after mass protests

Supreme Court on Sunday ordered the central government to stop any illegal detention of protesters and to restore Delhi’s public‑transport services after a wave of arrests during anti‑government rallies. The court’s directive followed detentions of more than 7,000 demonstrators who had gathered at Jantar Mantar on Saturday. Protesters were from the Cockroach Janta Party, the INDIA bloc and other groups calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The rallies were sparked by an Indian Express investigation that exposed internal conflicts inside the Election Commission and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. A two‑judge bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices on petitions that challenged the Saturday restrictions. Among those held were CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, several opposition leaders and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. The Supreme Court criticised the centre’s security clamp‑down aimed at preventing the planned mobilisation and reiterated that public transport must be made available to citizens. The court’s order also signals that future large‑scale gatherings may face tighter judicial scrutiny. ## Context The Election Commission oversees voter lists and election conduct across India. A call for its chief’s resignation signals serious concerns about the credibility of upcoming polls. Court interventions in protest‑related detentions are rare and reflect checks on executive power.