A phalanx of 40,000 security personnel detained roughly 700 people on Sunday as sporadic protests against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar continued to bubble up across the Capital for a second consecutive day as the Supreme Court underlined that detentions must be lawful and traffic movement eased with the metro running and fewer road barriers.
SIR row adds to pressure on chief election commissioner
Dipke also said he had not signed a bond barring him and other CJP leaders from staging further protests. They asked us to take a photo and leave. “Manhandled, dragged, assaulted and misbehaved inside a police vehicle and dumped by the roadside – for the crime of speaking to the media. This is not merely an assault on an MP. It is an assault on democratic freedoms and the rule of law. It also alleged that election officials found their access to the ECI software curtailed by the central IT team. “The entire country is facing an emergency-like situation. The protesters just want to put out their problems in front of the government.
The unrest is part of a longer string of events that have mounted pressure on Kumar over the controversial special intensive revision –– which has already deleted 130 million names from India’s electoral rolls –– and other allegations. The developments come after an Indian Express investigation said election commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded written dissents and objections at least 14 times between November 2025 and August 2026 and even written to the cabinet secretary.
The leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) –– a satirical movement that forced the education minister’s resignation three months ago –– were released after signing a bond promising “to maintain peace and good behaviour” for one year. “The CJP will neither back down nor be intimidated…we will hit the streets again,” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said on X before heading back to Maharashtra to deal with a bereavement. “We would like to ponder on how far the police acts fall in sync with the requirement of expression under Article 19,” the court said after many petitioners challenged the preventive detention of Opposition leaders, and questioned the legality of the restrictions and sought accountability for alleged police excesses. More chillingly, it happened within hours of the Supreme Court issuing directions to safeguard peaceful protest and constitutional rights,” said MP John Brittas, one of the detainees. ECI said differing views and observations were a normal part of deliberation and that all its digital platforms operated under strict data security protocols.
But a day after their dramatic detention from a flight, the CJP leaders said they’ll press on with the protests and seek permission on Monday for a new stir. Sanjay Kumar, who was visiting Delhi from Bihar, said, “I had come for an excursion to the India Gate on Sunday but police said I would not be able to sit on the lawns, or even walk to monument. Today, the state is at war with its own citizens,” Das said.
Monday will also see the Opposition return to the streets with a march to the Supreme Court. Leaders of the INDIA bloc said they had an appointment to meet Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday afternoon but court officials denied the claim.
