The Congress's attack on the highest judicial authority in the country - the Chief Justice of India - drew a sharp response from the Govt and the BJP.
The ruling dispensation points out how the grand old party guided and anchored by dynast-anarchist has been attempting to undermine constitutional institutions.
"I had said it earlier, next target of the Congress Party is Judiciary. Congress wants to destroy all the constitutional and democratic institutions of India," Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said.
He added, "All Anti-India gangs are joining hands. All patriotic Indians will also come together".
What Congress posted against the chief justice ?
"Dear Surya Kant, if law and order is not your domain, resign now. We will find your replacement who can handle it," the Kerala unit of the Congress said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi about the protests and 'restrictions' by Centre and Delhi police imposed across the national capital, the CJI has said,
"This is a law-and-order issue. It is not my domain".
Under attack, Rahul-led Congress made a U-turn.
The Congress courted controversy on Monday after targeting Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant over his remarks that restrictions on opposition protests in Delhi were a law-and-order issue beyond his domain.
In a social media post, the party’s Kerala unit directly attacked the CJI and asked him to resign if law and order was not his responsibility. After the post drew sharp criticism from lawyers and the BJP, the Congress deleted it and said the person responsible for the post have been removed from the duty.
In another damage control exercise - the party said the post was published without the knowledge or approval of its leadership.
The remarks came amid a controversy over the CJI's refusal to meet opposition leaders.
He had turned down their request for an appointment, pointing out that the issues they wanted to raise were already under consideration before the Supreme Court. He said such a meeting would go against the principle of separation of powers.
Several BJP leaders and Union Minister have flayed the opposition for seeking such an appointment on a political issue.
Later on the opposition leaders submitted petitions through due process of law.
The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA), meanwhile, passed a resolution condemning social media posts from Congress demanding the resignation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.
The association said such statements risk undermining the dignity of the judicial office and eroding public confidence in the judiciary.
"The judiciary is a constitutional institution entrusted with the responsibility of upholding the rule of law and protecting the rights of all citizens. Any grievance concerning judicial functioning must be raised through appropriate legal and constitutional channels.
Public statements seeking the resignation of the head of the judiciary risk undermining the dignity of the office and public confidence in the institution," the Association said in a statement.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed in the names of 11 Opposition MPs, sought a declaration that the decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was invalid.
The petition also sought judicial scrutiny of the legal validity of the exercise, alleging that the ECI's decision amounted to a colourable exercise of power, sources said.
The Supreme Court registry has flagged 14 defects in the INDIA bloc’s petition over alleged voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The plea has not yet been cleared for listing for a hearing.
The defects include missing or unsigned lawyer authorisations, unclear supporting documents and a court fee shortfall of Rs 220.
The registry has also sought clarification on why individual Election Commissioners have been named as private respondents in a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution.
The registry has asked for a clear, legible copy of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s identity card.
It has also flagged missing or unsigned vakalatnamas for petitioners numbered 3 to 11. A vakalatnama authorises a lawyer to represent a petitioner.
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