Rahul Gandhi, 10 Opposition leaders move Supreme Court against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

The protest against alleged irregularities and arbitrary conduct by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a new turn in New Delhi. The Congress legal team led by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and key leaders of the INDIA bloc have filed a petition directly in the Supreme Court against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Rahul Gandhi is the lead petitioner. Leaders of 11 major Opposition parties have joined him as co-petitioners. The names include Mallikarjun Kharge, Saugata Roy, Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Sanjay Raut, M. A. Baby, D. Raja, Mahua Maji, Supriya Sule and E. T. Mohammed Basheer.

Before the petition was filed, INDIA bloc leaders led by Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi took out a large march from Jantar Mantar to the Supreme Court. Leaders and MPs of different Opposition parties, including the Congress, the RJD (Tejashwi Yadav) and the Samajwadi Party (Akhilesh Yadav), took part. Large numbers of members of several student organisations across the country, and lawyers, also walked with them.

Before the march, Rahul Gandhi had said of the movement, "This march of ours is like Shiva's wedding procession." During the march, the Opposition raised serious questions about the role of the Chief Election Commissioner. It also once again registered strong objections over the transparency of the Election Commission.

The deadline for filing petitions at the Supreme Court registry is usually 4:30 pm. Rahul Gandhi's legal team had sought special permission for extra time to hand over the petition in person after that hour. E-filing is available at the Supreme Court round the clock, yet in this case the emphasis was on submitting the papers and the petition in person.

Chief Justice Surya Kant took suo motu cognisance of the matter and had the petition brought to him. He has directed the Supreme Court registry to complete all the necessary legal procedure today. If the petition has any technical lapse or defect, that too has been ordered to be cured today.

A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant will hear the petition. The Chief Justice had earlier made clear that petitions filed by Monday evening would be heard on Tuesday. All eyes in the country are now on the hearing tomorrow.