Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has declined a request from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for a meeting about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express reported on 11 and 12 October 2026.
Quick Facts
| Letter sent | Sunday, 11 October 2026 |
| Addressed to | Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi |
| Request | A meeting between 4 pm and 5 pm on Monday to submit a memorandum |
| Reply | Meeting declined; a petition may be filed on Monday and will be heard “at the earliest possible opportunity” |
| Related hearing | Pending SIR petitions listed for Tuesday |
What the Chief Justice Wrote
Justice Kant said all matters about alleged discrepancies in the voters’ list and the SIR are before the Supreme Court and should be pursued through judicial proceedings.
“Convening a meeting to discuss pending cases would wholly contravene the principle of separation of powers, an intrinsic facet of the basic structure doctrine of the Constitution of India, and would be incompatible with the established ethics and judicial propriety,” he wrote.
He said it would be “more appropriate on your part to invoke the judicial powers of the Supreme Court of India, instead of submitting a memorandum on the administrative side”. A petition could be filed on Monday, in person at the court between 10.30 am and 4.30 pm or through e-filing. “You have my assurance that any such petition shall be heard at the earliest possible opportunity, in accordance with the law,” he added.
The Indian Express reported that the reply made four points, including that the court cannot take up such grievances on its “administrative side” and that it has the power of judicial review under Article 32.
What Congress Had Asked For
Congress has been seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR. Party leaders had asked to submit a memorandum about the functioning of the Election Commission and to raise the alleged arbitrary arrest of students, the closure of metro stations and the cancellation of trains in Delhi.
Rahul Gandhi had called on students, civil society groups and opposition parties to join a march to the Supreme Court on Monday. It was to begin at 1.30 pm at the Connaught Place-Barakhamba Road junction and cover about 2 km.
The Political Response
Union minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said a proper procedure has to be followed to meet the CJI and called Congress’s move “drama”. At the time of the Hindustan Times report there was no immediate reaction from Congress to the letter.
Featured image: The Supreme Court of India building in New Delhi (file photo). Photo by Subhashish Panigrahi, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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