CEC-SIR protest LIVE: Rahul says INDIA bloc’s next move a ‘surprise’; Shah tells Cong to introspect
After meeting INDIA bloc leaders and civil society members, the LoP says the movement will continue until those accused of electoral fraud are brought to justice
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (October 13) said he would not reveal the Opposition parties’ next move amid the CEC-SIR row, saying that doing so would spoil the excitement and sense of surprise for citizens. “Our movement will go till the end goal. How? That is a surprise,” he said.
“Sooner or later, whether tomorrow, the day after, in three months, six months, a year or two years, it will not stop. It will reach the end goal. I cannot tell you exactly how we will get there, because that would spoil the surprise, and we want to maintain the excitement and sense of surprise for you and the country. But I guarantee you that, just as we mobilised with such energy, strength and unity, we will continue to fight together in the same spirit,” he said.
High tea at Rahul's residence
Addressing reporters after deliberations with INDIA bloc and civil society members at his residence, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha said this is the Opposition’s commitment that the people who have indulged in “vote chori” would be brought to justice, naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Rahul had hosted Opposition leaders of the grouping together with civil society members and students’ leaders at his residence for tea. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several opposition leaders, including Tejashwi Yadav and Manoj Jha of the RJD, Mahua Maji (JMM), Harender Malik, Anand Bhadauria and Mohibullah Nadvi (SP), M A Baby (CPI-M), D Raja and P Sandosh Kumar (CPI), AISA chief Neha Bora, Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPI-ML) and Mahua Moitra (TMC), attended the tea at Rahul Gandhi's 5, Sunehri Bagh Road, residence.
The LoP also said that they had extreme respect for the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and hoped they would play their role in this process. “No matter what happens, no matter which institution plays a role or not, political resistance will continue, people’s resistance will continue and it will triumph,” he said.
The meeting came a day after Opposition leaders, joined by activists and civil society members, undertook a "March for Democracy" on a heavily-barricaded route and filed a joint petition against the SIR of electoral rolls and alleged poll irregularities in a major show of strength in the national capital.
SC gives Centre more time to file response
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court extended time till October 15 for the filing of response by the Centre on a batch of petitions arising from the closure of Metro stations and disruptions in train services in Delhi ahead of October 10 protests against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A bench of Chief Justice (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, which was scheduled to conduct the crucial hearing on a litany of petitions, deferred the hearing to Thursday as Justice Mohana was indisposed.
Read our stories on the topic here
DMK-Congress feud: SIR becomes flashpoint in Tamil Nadu’s new political equation
Opportunism or long game? Why Akhilesh Yadav picked a Modi fan as SP’s RS candidate
What Rahul Gandhi's SIR petition in SC asks, and why sceptics doubt it
Foreign hand in anti-SIR protests? Prove it, or drop it, Mr Nabin
Indian voter is angry, but Gyanesh Kumar can still atone for his ‘crimes’
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Live Updates
- 13 Oct 2026 2:35 PM IST
What Rahul Gandhi's SIR petition in SC asks, and why sceptics doubt it
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and ten other INDIA bloc leaders moved the Supreme Court on October 12. Their petition is directed against the Election Commission of India. It follows the course that Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant advised a day earlier.The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and ten other INDIA bloc leaders moved the Supreme Court on October 12. Their petition is directed against the Election Commission of India. It follows the course that Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant advised a day earlier. Read the full story : What Rahul Gandhi's SIR petition in SC asks, and why sceptics doubt it
- 13 Oct 2026 1:54 PM IST
INDIA bloc's march to SC is attempt to pressure judiciary, says Shinde
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday slammed the INDIA bloc's march to the Supreme Court as an attempt to pressure the judiciary, and alleged that the Opposition’s single-point agenda is to spread anarchy and instability in the country.
Addressing a news conference in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena leader demanded an apology from the Opposition, terming their march to file a petition against alleged poll irregularities an unprecedented attack on the apex court and a black day in Indian history.
The Opposition on Monday took out "March for Democracy" to the Supreme Court to file a joint petition against SIR and alleged poll irregularities, in a major show of strength in the national capital.
"It was a black Day in Indian history. The morcha to the Supreme Court was an attempt to pressurise the judiciary. This has happened for the first time in the country," the deputy chief minister said.
He said that while the Opposition has the right to seek justice from the court, staging a morcha to file a petition was an attack on the highest judiciary and an insult.
"I condemn it. They have to apologise to 140 crore people," Shinde said.
- 13 Oct 2026 1:17 PM IST
CPI(ML) L student, youth wings stage protest march in Patna seeking CEC's resignation
Activists of the student and youth wings of the CPI(ML) Liberation on Tuesday held a protest march in Patna seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The protest march, starting from Gandhi Maidan under tight security measures, was headed towards Lok Bhavan but was stopped by the police at J P Golambar.
Members of CPI(ML) Liberation student wing All India Students' Association (AISA) and youth wing Revolutionary Youth Association raised slogans such as 'Gyanesh Kumar, isteefa do' (Gyanesh Kumar must resign) during their protest march.
Some protesters broke through barricades at J P Golambar and marched towards the Dak Bungalow Chauraha, following which police detained several agitators, including female students.
Meanwhile, Patna district administration, through an official statement, directed all organisations and individuals to hold demonstrations only at the designated protest site in Gardanibagh.
- 13 Oct 2026 12:43 PM IST
Bengal SIR: Congress attacks CEC Gyanesh Kumar over latest move to hold 'special camps'
"There is no limit to Gyanesh Kumar's shamelessness," says Congress leader Jairam Ramesh over Election Commission's latest statement on West Bengal SIR. Special camps to be organised in Bengal to ensure no voter is left out of electoral rolls, says Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Bengal.
- 13 Oct 2026 12:19 PM IST
SC defers hearing on pleas related to Delhi protests, curbs on metro and train services to Oct 15
The Supreme Court deferred to Thursday the hearing on pleas related to protests, closure of metro stations and disruptions in train services ahead of the October 10 agitations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar due to the indisposition of Justice V Mohana.
On Tuesday, a Bench of Chief Justice (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was scheduled to conduct the crucial hearing on a litany of petitions.
Justice Mohana, who was indisposed, joined the proceedings on Tuesday.
At the outset, the CJI told lawyers that Justice Mohana was unwell but still came to the court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the bench to adjourn the hearing, saying that health issues should not be ignored. Other senior advocates, including Gopal Sankaranarayanan, also agreed to the deferment.
Mehta told the bench that time granted to the Centre to file its response on a plea alleging contempt for disobeying the apex court's direction not to completely halt metro and train services ahead of the October 10 protest was till Tuesday.
"The affidavit is ready. I would like to add something to make it more comprehensive," Mehta said.
The bench extended the time to file the affidavit and said the same be supplied to the counsel appearing for the petitioners.
- 13 Oct 2026 12:10 PM IST
Rahul Gandhi has 'lost mental balance', Congress disrupting public life in Delhi: BJP MP Ravi Kishan
BJP MP Ravi Kishan on Tuesday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had "lost his mental balance", claiming that videos of a protest in Delhi showed him hitting his own party workers during the Opposition's agitation.
The Congress and other Opposition parties, unable to defeat the BJP in elections, are now trying to "hijack" the democratic process through protests and disrupting public life in Delhi, Kishan told reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur.
He claimed that about 65 per cent of young people are satisfied with the government, and accused the Opposition of misleading a few hundred youths to disrupt public life. This is not politics, but a battle of ideologies that should be fought on the issue of development, Kishan asserted.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been leading the INDIA bloc's protest in Delhi against alleged "vote theft" and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
"Rahul ji, as you can see in the videos circulating, has lost his mental balance. He is hitting his own party workers with his elbows," Kishan alleged, referring to the Opposition agitation in the national capital.
He also referred to an incident in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that shoes and slippers were thrown in the presence of the state Congress president two days ago.
"Their mindset is evident. As they are unable to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, they have now resorted to hijacking," the BJP leader charged.
The Congress exploited the country during its 65 years in power and wants to take India back by 65 years, he alleged.
- 13 Oct 2026 11:48 AM IST
Plea in SC challenges restrictions on protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging restrictions on protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and the designation of alternative sites for public demonstrations.
Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar's standing order of October 11 de-notified Jantar Mantar and designated Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi as the new venues for protests and demonstrations.
The plea raised concerns over the availability and suitability of designated protest venues in the national capital. It submitted that the top court had earlier recognised Jantar Mantar as a designated site for protests and rejected Ramlila Maidan as an unsuitable alternative.
The plea questioned the rationale behind the restrictions and the selection of other locations for demonstrations.
The petition has also raised concerns over the proposed alternative protest sites, alleging that some are situated near Delhi’s landfill areas and questioning their suitability for hosting public gatherings.
- 13 Oct 2026 9:46 AM IST
CJP's Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and others detained in Delhi
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday while they were trying to reach Jantar Mantar.
In a post on X, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said several other team members, including Ajinkya Shinde, had also been detained.
"Cockroaches with the Tiranga sneaked into Jantar Mantar early this morning before they were picked up by Delhi Police," Dipke said.
He said Ranka, Das, Shinde and other team members have been detained.
"You cannot denotify the resistance," he added, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dipke also shared a video that showed the CJP members jumping over a gate to enter Jantar Mantar and raising slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai". Police personnel are seen rushing and grabbing them.
The detentions come amid heightened security in New Delhi following calls for protests by different organisations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Delhi Police has deployed a large number of personnel across the city to maintain law and order.
- 13 Oct 2026 9:45 AM IST
Delhi Police register 2 FIRs over Opposition protest
Two FIRs have been registered at Delhi's Barakhamba Road and Tilak Marg police stations in connection with the Opposition's march to the Supreme Court against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, officials said on Tuesday.
According to police, no permission had been granted for the march to the Supreme Court and several opposition leaders were allegedly seen breaking police barricades with the help of a mini-truck during the protest on Monday.
The 'March for Democracy' saw several opposition INDIA bloc leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, join activists and supporters to protest against alleged voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls under Kumar.
- 13 Oct 2026 9:11 AM IST
Police seek extension of CAPF deployment in Delhi till Oct 20 amid protest concerns
Delhi Police has sought an extension of the deployment of 273 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in Delhi till October 20, citing the possibility of protests by the Cockroach Janta Party and other organisations, PTI reported today citing sources.
In a letter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, police requested that the deployment, which was scheduled to end on Monday, be extended to maintain law and order and deal with any potential situation.
"A total of 301 CAPF companies had been approved for deployment in Delhi, including 221 companies cleared on October 6 and another 80 on October 8," a source said.
Of the additional 80 companies, 28 had not reported to Delhi Police as of Monday, the sources said.
They said police have flagged the possibility of demonstrations at several sensitive locations, including Jantar Mantar, Election Commission, Parliament House and India Gate.
Demonstrations by the Bhim Army, student organisations and other political groups are also among the concerns cited by police.
