Fadnavis backs CJI's refusal to meet protesters, asks where the Constitution requires it

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has backed Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's decision not to meet agitators. Fadnavis also questioned the Opposition's methods of protest. Opposition parties and several organisations are agitating over changes to electoral rolls and the accountability of the Chief Election Commissioner. Fadnavis spoke against this backdrop.

Speaking to the media on Monday (12 October 2026), Fadnavis commented on the role of the Opposition parties and the protesting organisations. He said everyone in a democracy has the right to protest peacefully. But, he said, it is not right to pressure constitutional institutions or disturb law and order in the name of agitation.

The Opposition has been raising questions over the Chief Justice's refusal to meet a delegation of protesters. Fadnavis defended the Chief Justice's stand. He asked where the Constitution says that the Chief Justice must meet every person who agitates or every group that holds a march. According to Fadnavis, the Chief Justice took the decision within the limits of his constitutional powers. He said grievances and disputes related to the court are expected to be resolved through the legal process, and that it is not right to pressure the judiciary through street protests.

Fadnavis accused the Opposition and some protesting organisations of trying to create distrust of the country's key institutions. He claimed that systematic efforts are under way to reduce the credibility of institutions such as the Supreme Court, the Election Commission and the Reserve Bank of India. Fadnavis alleged that the aim of these efforts is to make citizens feel that these institutions cannot give them justice.

Fadnavis said there is a difference between the democratic right to protest and acts that disturb law and order. He alleged that provocative slogans are raised during some agitations. In his view, when people with criminal backgrounds gather in large numbers and disrupt public order, it cannot be called a peaceful protest. He warned that such agitations can create instability in society.

Fadnavis also made it clear that his government is ready for talks in a democratic manner. According to him, the administration is ready to discuss any question. He said efforts have been made, through dialogue and counselling, to bring even people with violent tendencies linked to Naxal ideology into the democratic process. But he said the law must be followed while exercising democratic rights, and nobody can be given licence to use violence or endanger public order in the name of agitation.

The Opposition parties and some youth organisations that are agitating are demanding transparency over changes to the electoral rolls and an assurance of the credibility of the election process. Amid these protests, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and the Opposition parties are trading charges. Fadnavis, too, criticised the agitations and appealed for respect for the autonomy of constitutional institutions and for the legal process.

Before Fadnavis's statement, BJP national president Nitin Nabin had also criticised the Opposition's agitations. He alleged that after being rejected by voters in the elections, the parties of the INDIA bloc are trying to create instability in the country. He also claimed that the agitations are being run at the behest of foreign forces that want to harm the country's peace and economic growth.

The political climate in the country has heated up over the changes to electoral rolls and the role of the Election Commission. The Opposition is raising the issue of transparency in the election process, while BJP leaders are questioning the manner of the protests. With the Opposition demanding accountability on the election process and Fadnavis opposing attempts to pressure constitutional institutions, the political confrontation between the ruling side and the Opposition is likely to intensify.