The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission regarding two separate petitions. The court sought responses from poll officials, including Gyanesh Kumar, over alleged electoral roll irregularities. Judges also questioned the removal of Jantar Mantar as a protest site, noting, "We are not sitting in ivory towers."
The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from Centre and Delhi Police on a plea challenging the removal of Jantar Mantar as designated protest site. The court was hearing a matter regarding the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.
Responding to the plea, former judge and senior advocate Mukta Gupta argued that the site must be a place where protesters are "heard by the powers to be".
Justice Joymalya Bagchi made an oral observation, saying "the word 'heard' must be understood from the perspective of technology also."
The Supreme Court also issued a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and others on a petition filed by Opposition leaders led by Rahul Gandhi. The Court sought responses from the poll agency, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on the plea.
It also issued notice to Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and others on plea against march to Supreme Court over alleged SIR irregularities. The court expressed strong objections to the conduct of one of the 13 petitioners who challenged the manner in which the poll body is conducting the SIR of electoral rolls.
Speaking on Rahul Gandhi's Monday's march, the court observed, "We are not sitting in ivory towers." The remark comes after lawyers pointed to attempts to 'browbeat' judiciary by undertaking march to the court on the SIR issue.