The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission to answer allegations about voter deletions during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls. Chief Justice Surya Kant said, "Nobody can browbeat the judiciary." The court also issued notices regarding the October 12 march and new protest rules in Delhi.
The Supreme Court on Thursday sought responses from the Election Commission and others to a petition filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and 12 other Opposition leaders alleging large-scale deletion of voters and irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
During the hearing of a batch of petitions concerning the electoral roll revision and protests in Delhi, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said, "Nobody can browbeat the judiciary." The court also sought responses from the Centre, Delhi Police and other authorities on issues linked to protest venues, policing and the treatment of journalists.
The Chief Justice made the observation while hearing a petition concerning the October 12 march to the Supreme Court by Gandhi and several other Opposition leaders. "We will ask one of the petitioners about his conduct on the next date of hearing," the court said.
The Supreme Court issued notices to Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, the Congress and others on a petition against the October 12 march, PTI reported.
The court also sought responses from the Centre and Delhi Police to a petition challenging an October 11 order that removed Jantar Mantar from the list of designated protest sites and named three alternative venues for demonstrations.
In another matter, the court issued notices to the Election Commission and others on a petition filed by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi seeking to set aside the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
The Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre and others to a petition seeking guidelines for interactions between police and journalists during protests and crowd-control operations. It also directed the police not to take coercive action against a woman journalist booked on a complaint by a Delhi Police officer, who accused her of making casteist remarks and publicly humiliating him during a protest near Jantar Mantar.
The court said it was not taking cognisance of media reports suggesting that government authorities had tendered unconditional apologies in contempt proceedings. It asked Delhi Police to submit prohibitory orders issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, formerly Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, restricting public gatherings and demonstrations in the national capital on various dates over the past fortnight.
The court also instructed all law-enforcement agencies to preserve CCTV footage and other digital evidence related to the protests. The batch of petitions covers the alleged electoral roll revision irregularities, the Opposition leaders' march, restrictions on demonstrations and police interactions with journalists.