Karnataka Congress president B. K. Hariprasad on Monday criticised Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant over his refusal to meet INDIA bloc leaders, saying the head of the judiciary should ensure justice for everyone and not behave like a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The remarks came as Opposition leaders prepared to march to the Supreme Court to protest against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The CJI had declined a request for a meeting with INDIA bloc leaders, advising them to approach the court through a petition instead.
Speaking in Delhi, Hariprasad said, “The CJI should not behave like a Bharatiya Janata Party member. He is a CJI of the Supreme Court; he should give justice to everyone.”
He accused Gyanesh Kumar of failing to act impartially and alleged that the election commissioner was working in the BJP’s interest. Hariprasad said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was leading the march to demand the scrapping of the SIR exercise and the CEC’s resignation.
Congress MP Praveen Chakravarty said all those who believed in the Constitution were welcome to join the agitation, adding that the Congress was taking up the issue under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
Another Congress MP, Gaddam Vamsi Krishna, accused the BJP of acting against young and first-time voters. He alleged that the SIR exercise was aimed at deleting the names of new voters and said the party would continue to oppose it.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said the protest would continue until Gyanesh Kumar left office and those allegedly operating behind him were exposed.
The demonstration is part of the Opposition’s wider campaign over alleged irregularities in electoral roll revision. Rahul Gandhi has maintained that the march is not merely a political party’s protest but an effort involving citizens concerned about the electoral process.
The INDIA bloc had also submitted a charter of demands to President Droupadi Murmu on Friday, outlining four demands concerning electoral reforms and alleged vote manipulation.
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