The Supreme Court is scheduled on Thursday to hear a joint petition by Opposition leaders, led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, challenging the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The petitioners are seeking full disclosure of the "files, agendas, minutes, notings and objections" recorded by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in connection with the exercise, which has so far deleted around 13 crore voters across India.
The hearing lands at the peak of a political confrontation over the revision. Demonstrations against the SIR and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar entered their fifth straight day in Delhi on Wednesday, with hundreds detained in central Delhi. Those detained during the October 10–12 protests have also moved the court alleging police excesses, seeking an independent inquiry, preservation of CCTV and bodycam footage, and return of their phones.
Police apologies before the court
In a significant development, the Delhi Police has filed an affidavit denying contempt or wilful disobedience of the Supreme Court's October 9 order, while tendering an "unconditional and unqualified apology". The contempt petition, filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi, alleged that the closure of metro station gates at GTB Nagar and Vishwavidyalaya violated the court's directions. Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar's affidavit said restrictions were ultimately imposed at 45 of Delhi's 303 metro stations — about 15 per cent of the network — and full services were restored by 10 pm on October 10, adding that cellular internet was suspended within a four-kilometre radius of Raisina Hill purely as a public-order measure. The police maintained the steps were timely, proportionate and lawful.
The court's handling of the contempt plea and the SIR petition will set the terms of a row that has dominated Delhi politics for over a week.
Sources: The Hindu Morning Digest: October 15, 2026 – The Hindu | Delhi Police Denies Contempt Of Supreme Court Over October 10 Protests, Issues 'Unconditional Apology' – News18
The hearing lands at the peak of a political confrontation over the revision. Demonstrations against the SIR and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar entered their fifth straight day in Delhi on Wednesday, with hundreds detained in central Delhi. Those detained during the October 10–12 protests have also moved the court alleging police excesses, seeking an independent inquiry, preservation of CCTV and bodycam footage, and return of their phones.
Police apologies before the court
In a significant development, the Delhi Police has filed an affidavit denying contempt or wilful disobedience of the Supreme Court's October 9 order, while tendering an "unconditional and unqualified apology". The contempt petition, filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi, alleged that the closure of metro station gates at GTB Nagar and Vishwavidyalaya violated the court's directions. Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar's affidavit said restrictions were ultimately imposed at 45 of Delhi's 303 metro stations — about 15 per cent of the network — and full services were restored by 10 pm on October 10, adding that cellular internet was suspended within a four-kilometre radius of Raisina Hill purely as a public-order measure. The police maintained the steps were timely, proportionate and lawful.
The court's handling of the contempt plea and the SIR petition will set the terms of a row that has dominated Delhi politics for over a week.
Sources: The Hindu Morning Digest: October 15, 2026 – The Hindu | Delhi Police Denies Contempt Of Supreme Court Over October 10 Protests, Issues 'Unconditional Apology' – News18