Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hosted a meeting over high tea at his Delhi residence on Tuesday, bringing together INDIA bloc leaders, opposition MPs, student organisations and civil society representatives amid continuing protests over Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India’s voter-roll revision process.

The gathering was held at Gandhi’s residence at 5, Sunehri Bagh Road. In a post on X, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the meeting was intended to bring different groups together in what he described as a movement to protect democracy.

“All protests are one. #Unity,” Gandhi wrote, signalling an effort to coordinate opposition parties and other groups participating in the protests.

The meeting was followed by a press conference at which opposition leaders presented their position on the issue.

Opposition seeks to sustain joint movement

The high tea came a day after opposition leaders and student representatives participated in a march demanding action over their concerns regarding the Election Commission and the revision of electoral rolls.

The march, called the “March for Democracy”, saw participation from several prominent opposition figures, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee, Rashtriya Janata Dal working president Tejashwi Yadav, CPI leader D Raja, CPI(M) leader MA Baby and NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule.

Gandhi also joined the march, which brought opposition leaders and student representatives together to raise concerns about the electoral process.

The high tea meeting extended that effort by bringing opposition politicians together with student organisations and civil society representatives. The gathering came amid calls for a coordinated response rather than separate protests by different groups.

What is the opposition’s case against the Election Commission?

The dispute centres on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and decisions concerning the voter-list revision process.

A petition filed by Rahul Gandhi and others names the Election Commission of India, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and fellow Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as parties.

The petition seeks judicial examination of decisions concerning the SIR process, the submission of records related to the exercise, the rollback of changes made to Form 6 for enrolling new voters and an independent audit, among other requests.

The opposition has raised concerns about the conduct of the electoral-roll revision process and has demanded accountability from the poll body. These are the petitioners’ demands and allegations, rather than established findings of wrongdoing by the Election Commission.

The legal challenge adds a judicial dimension to the opposition’s street protests and its efforts to draw attention to the voter-list issue.

Gyanesh Kumar issue remains a focus of protests

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been at the centre of opposition protests linked to the electoral-roll revision exercise. Opposition leaders have demanded action over their concerns regarding the Election Commission’s functioning and the SIR process.

Gandhi’s meeting with INDIA bloc leaders and representatives of other groups underscored the opposition’s stated intention to continue raising the issue collectively.

The gathering also brought together political parties and organisations beyond the INDIA bloc, reflecting the wider participation in the protests described in Gandhi’s public statement.

The dispute now involves political demonstrations, demands for accountability from the Election Commission and a legal challenge seeking scrutiny of decisions connected to the revision of electoral rolls.

The Supreme Court has stayed further proceedings before the trial court in a criminal defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his alleged remarks concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Aparesh Kumar Singh issued notices to the Maharashtra government and the complainant, seeking their responses within four weeks. The order provides interim relief to Gandhi while the Supreme Court considers his challenge to an earlier Bombay High Court decision.

The case concerns remarks allegedly made by Gandhi in 2018. A magistrate’s order dated August 28, 2019, initiated proceedings against him in the criminal defamation case. The Supreme Court’s latest order temporarily pauses the trial court proceedings; it does not amount to a final ruling on the allegations.

Why Rahul Gandhi approached the Supreme Court

Gandhi challenged the Bombay High Court’s September 8 order, which declined to quash the summons issued against him in the criminal defamation case.

The complaint was filed by Maharashtra-based BJP member Mahesh Shrishrimal before a magistrate court in Girgaum, Mumbai. The complaint concerns remarks Gandhi allegedly made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public address in Rajasthan on September 20, 2018.

The complainant alleged that Gandhi’s remarks were defamatory and affected the reputation of the Prime Minister and BJP members. These remain allegations and have not been established by a final court judgment. These are allegations in the complaint, rather than findings established by a final court judgment.

Gandhi had sought to have the criminal proceedings quashed, challenging the maintainability of the complaint and the complainant’s standing to bring the case.

What the Bombay High Court had ruled

On September 8, the Bombay High Court rejected Gandhi’s plea to quash the criminal defamation proceedings.

The Bombay High Court rejected Gandhi’s plea to quash the proceedings, holding that the complaint could not be dismissed at that stage merely on the ground that the complainant was a BJP member. It observed that whether the alleged remarks were directed solely at the Prime Minister or could also affect members of the party would require examination during the trial.

The High Court’s decision allowed the proceedings to remain in place, although it had earlier provided temporary protection to Gandhi to enable him to approach the Supreme Court.

What happens next

The Supreme Court has now stayed further proceedings before the trial court and sought responses from the Maharashtra government and Mahesh Shrishrimal within four weeks.

The Supreme Court has sought responses within four weeks. The next hearing date should be included only if it has been confirmed by the court or the reference report. The interim stay pauses the trial court process while the Supreme Court considers Gandhi’s challenge to the High Court’s order.

The latest development does not determine whether the alleged remarks amount to criminal defamation. That issue remains subject to the legal proceedings.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) claimed on Tuesday, October 13, that its leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka had been detained during a protest in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party said its members had reached the protest site carrying the national flag.

The CJP has been organising protests against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party has demanded accountability from the Election Commission and the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said that Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and other party members had been detained, according to the party’s account.

Dipke criticised the restrictions on protests, saying that resistance could not be stopped by changing the status of a designated protest venue.

Why the CJP is protesting

The CJP has been protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the voter-roll revision exercise. The party has raised concerns about the deletion and alleged manipulation of voters’ names. These claims remain allegations and should not be treated as independently established findings.

Earlier detention of CJP leaders

The latest reported detentions follow an earlier incident involving CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka. The three were detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on October 10 ahead of the planned Jantar Mantar demonstration.

According to related reporting, the three CJP leaders were released on October 11 following proceedings before an executive magistrate after furnishing a surety bond for maintaining peace and good behaviour for one year.

The CJP’s claims come amid its protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the voter-roll revision exercise.