The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and various student organisations have called for a united protest on October 10 against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They demand his resignation and an overhaul of the electoral system, describing the confrontation as a fight for democracy against the BJP. The groups are seeking to sustain street pressure, following a previous agitation that led to a minister's resignation.
Accept the right to peaceful assembly; reverse the injustice done to crores of voters; punish the man responsible, points out Aakar Patel.
All India Students' Association (AISA) President Neha Bora has challenged a Delhi Police notice requiring her to execute a 'peace' bond, arguing it is vague and an attempt to suppress peaceful dissent.
Delhi is under stringent security as over 30,000 personnel are deployed for an opposition protest march to the Supreme Court against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a detailed constituency-wise disclosure of disenfranchisement caused by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal.
'Their functioning is flawed, they are not accountable, they are opaque, they are non-transparent, they have lost credibility.'
The Delhi government has taken action by withholding the additional DCP charge for ACP Vivek Bhagat, who faces serious allegations of sexually harassing a woman journalist, pending a thorough inquiry into the matter.
The Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon has announced a revised route for this year's edition, scheduled for Sunday. The change is due to ongoing protests near Rail Bhawan, Sansad Marg, and Patel Chowk, which were part of the traditional course. Organisers have communicated the new route to participants, while elite race timings and other run categories remain largely unaffected.
The Supreme Court has directed an appellate tribunal to expeditiously decide an appeal filed by a 75-year-old advocate challenging the deletion of his name from the West Bengal voters' list following a Special Intensive Revision exercise. The court noted the petitioner appeared to be a bona fide resident and requested a decision within two months.
Opposition parties, led by Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, plan to march to the Supreme Court on Monday to meet the Chief Justice of India. They aim to submit a memorandum regarding alleged 'vote chori' and demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, halting of SIR, and a return to paper ballots. The protest follows widespread detentions during previous demonstrations, which the opposition condemns as an assault on democracy.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi has strongly criticised the Election Commission's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating it is 'focussed more on exclusion' and has 'played havoc with democracy' by disturbing free and fair elections.
All India Students' Association (AISA) President Neha Bora has approached the Delhi High Court challenging a Delhi Police notice requiring her to execute a bond for "keeping peace" under Section 126 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Bora, who was previously detained, argues the notice is vague and an attempt to suppress peaceful dissent.
Delhi Police registered a non-cognisable report against unidentified individuals for allegedly threatening a magistrate during the bail proceedings of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The CJP alleges deliberate delays in their leaders' release, with their legal head claiming the magistrate received threats. The leaders were arrested on October 14 for scaling gates at Jantar Mantar during a protest.
The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has completed one year, leading to the deletion of nearly six crore voters across 19 states and Union territories. This exercise, which began in Bihar, has faced opposition criticism but was upheld by the Supreme Court. The purification drive has significant implications, including linking voter data to social security benefits in some states.
Opposition parties in India are demanding the impeachment and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging he is running the poll panel as a 'one-man autocracy' following revelations that two Election Commissioners red-flagged issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee indicated her potential participation in a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. She strongly criticised the BJP and the Election Commission over alleged electoral malpractices and "SIR anomalies" in Bengal. Banerjee also expressed solidarity with Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra regarding their treatment during recent protests and plans to approach President Droupadi Murmu.
AISA president Neha Bora appeared before a special executive magistrate after the Delhi High Court dismissed her challenge to a police notice requiring a Rs 10,000 "peace bond." Bora refuses to sign the bond, alleging it's used to curb democratic dissent, while the court has directed authorities to provide her with all material supporting the allegations by October 29.
A delegation of NDA leaders in Karnataka has formally complained to the Chief Electoral Officer, alleging "massive irregularities" in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanding an immediate inquiry and door-to-door re-verification.
Around 200 people, including Tushar Gandhi's organisation members and CPI(M) supporters, were detained in Mumbai for protesting.
Amid the ongoing protests in the national capital, the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal (BUVM), Delhi Pradesh, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, appealing for political demonstrations in the capital to be postponed until January 31, 2027, citing the festival and wedding season.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused authorities of deleting names of people from the Matua and minority communities from voter rolls in the state following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
At the same time, the amendment bill makes it clear that 'no application for inclusion of name in the electoral roll shall be denied and no entries in the electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar number due to such sufficient cause as may be prescribed'.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge sparked a major controversy on Sunday with his remark "Modi ka baap bhi jayega" during an event in Patna, in response to an audience member's comment about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The statement drew sharp condemnation from senior leaders of the BJP and other NDA allies, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who criticised the use of "indecent and unparliamentary language" and demanded an apology from the Congress.
A new political outfit, the 'Lal Hit Janata Party', has emerged in Delhi, staging a counter-protest against alleged abuse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attacks on police.
Delhi Police is making extensive security arrangements for a massive protest called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on October 10, urging personnel to exercise restraint. The protest demands the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation. Authorities have denied permission, deployed thousands of central forces, ordered liquor shops closed, and proposed metro station closures and border vigilance.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has ignited a controversy by suggesting India should learn from Albanian protesters who allegedly burnt down their Supreme Court due to its perceived support for a corrupt prime minister. Raut shared a video of the purported events, drawing sharp criticism from Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam, who highlighted Raut's recent apology to the Supreme Court.
Seeking to check multiple entries in electoral rolls and to make them error-free, the Election Commission has embarked on an ambitious project to link Aadhar numbers with voters' electoral data.
The Delhi Police informed the High Court that Jantar Mantar was denotified as a protest site based on Supreme Court directions, a revelation made during a hearing on a plea by the Indian Youth Congress seeking protest permission. The court issued notice on the IYC's request for reconsideration and broader issues concerning protest regulation, while new sites have been designated.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey carried out a review and directed the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer to map the redrawn assembly constituencies.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has instructed all states and Union Territories to coordinate with Delhi Police to prevent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters from mobilising towards Jantar Mantar for a protest on Saturday, October 10. The MHA cited potential public peace disturbances and the CJP's history of non-compliance, noting that the protest request has been rejected.
Modi's greater weakness is his inability since July when he directed the exit of Dharmendra Pradhan, to come up with a political counter strategy. Security measures and executive orders as seen in recent days will only likely further weaken him and make him as lame duck a premier as many prior to him, Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh included, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The Calcutta high court has held that voter identity cards, Aadhaar and PAN cards are not conclusive proof of Indian citizenship.
Even as KPs lined up across special polling stations in Jammu amid tight security, several of them had to return without casting their vote.
The Election Commission of India has defended its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' lists, asserting that differing views among Commissioners are a normal part of deliberations and all orders carry full legal sanction, following reports of two Commissioners red-flagging issues.
The Delhi High Court is set to hear petitions concerning the alleged closure of Jantar Mantar as a protest site and reported assaults on protesters. Lawyers argue that the closure infringes on the right to free speech, especially as no alternative sites were designated. Separately, Delhi Police have denotified Jantar Mantar and named three new protest locations.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) is organising a protest in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities and the deletion of names from voter rolls. CJP leaders claim activists have been detained and faced restrictions while travelling to the capital for the demonstration.
The Election Commission has issued instructions to district election officials in West Bengal regarding voters marked as 'unmapped' due to technical issues during the digitisation of the 2002 electoral rolls.
INDIA bloc MPs, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained during a protest demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, with Congress MP Pawan Khera warning Kumar would 'regret' not meeting them and asserting the 'trouble' had only just begun.
The Indian government, through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has issued an advisory to Meta, urging the social media giant to prevent its recommendation systems from disproportionately exposing users to limited narratives and to enhance checks on content that could incite public disorder or unlawful activity. The advisory, dated October 10, also calls for Meta to provide adequate context for content related to ongoing public events and to review its content-ranking mechanisms to avoid amplifying misleading information.
The Delhi High Court is set to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on October 16 concerning the right to peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar. The plea seeks directions to authorities to permit demonstrations and declare peaceful protest as part of free speech, following recent protests and alleged police actions. Another PIL regarding assaults on protesters was adjourned to November.
