COCKROACH MOVEMENT TO SEEK PERMISSION FOR NEW PROTEST
Chief Justice Surya Kant, however, declined the meeting request in an email, saying Gandhi and the Congress delegation should instead approach the court legally since the issue is already being heard by the court and should be addressed through judicial proceedings, a Congress source said.
Separately, the CJP said its leaders would meet Delhi Police to “demand” a date for a peaceful protest. It has threatened to announce a new protest call if a date is not given within 24 hours.
The youth movement, which has mobilised protests in recent months against issues ranging from government school infrastructure to jobs, is one of the biggest political challenges to Modi and his BJP in his 12 years in power.
The protests erupted after the Indian Express newspaper reported last month that Kumar’s two deputies raised several concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures and digital systems.
Election Commission data shows about 130 million names have been deleted from electoral rolls during the verification exercise, including 28 million people who had died, 63 million who had relocated and 30 million who could not be traced.
Opposition parties allege Muslim voters and other minorities, who are unlikely to support the Hindu nationalist ruling party, are disproportionately affected by the deletions – charges both the poll panel and BJP reject.
