CJI Surya Kant declines meeting with opposition leaders

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant declined a request from opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to meet on October 12, saying he had done so “with reasons.” The INDIA bloc had sought the appointment to present concerns about electoral processes and police action during protests, and planned to march to the Supreme Court that day. Kharge, president of the Congress, said on October 11 that he and Gandhi had written separately to the Chief Justice and requested a meeting between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. The leaders had intended to brief him on what they described as irregularities in the Election Commission and restrictions on protesters. Surya Kant confirmed that he had declined their request. The opposition’s planned memorandum was to seek an end to the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Gandhi also said the leaders would seek the removal of electronic voting machines from elections. These were demands and allegations made by opposition leaders; the material provided does not establish the claims independently.