The Janata Dal (United) on Friday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s march to the Supreme Court over alleged electoral-roll irregularities, calling it an unprecedented attempt to pressure the judiciary.

JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said most of the issues raised during the October 12 march were already sub judice. The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to Gandhi and other Opposition leaders on a plea against the march and sought responses from the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). - PTI

NCP-SCP spokesperson Anish Gawande said he had only just learnt that Delhi Police had visited Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke’s residence and that he would read the notice before deciding on the next steps.

“They are our guests; I will offer them tea and ask why they’re here. Let me read the notice first. We all should participate in the Tiranga Yatra, we will go,” he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took out a ‘Tiranga’ march on North Avenue near Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at Central Park in Connaught Place. Led by Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj, the march saw party workers carrying the national flag amid police presence.

Bharadwaj said the government and police could not dictate where citizens could unfurl the national flag.

-PTI

More than 20 Delhi Police personnel visited Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke’s residence on Friday and served him a notice barring him from holding a protest at Connaught Place ahead of the party’s proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at 5 p.m.

-Lavpreet Kaur

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Congress, in a post on X, alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was hosting media editors and briefing them “off the record” as the BJP government steps in to answer questions meant for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. AICC Media and Publicity Department chairman Pawan Khera said the party was aware of this because it, too, received information from editors. ​​

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AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a post on X, announced a “Tiranga Yatra” to be held in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament.

Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the CJP, defended peaceful protests, saying that demanding answers from the government, protesting injustice on the streets, and questioning those in public office are not examples of anarchy.

“I was personally assaulted in Jaipur, but even then, I chose not to retaliate because responding to violence with violence goes against everything we believe in. We would rather exercise the rights guaranteed to us by the Constitution, drafted under the leadership of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, than resort to physical force,” Mr. Dipke said in a post on X.

“Despite this, there are constant attempts to portray us as anarchists simply because we refuse to remain silent. But demanding answers from the govt is not anarchy, protesting against injustice on the streets is not anarchy, and questioning those who hold public office is certainly not anarchy. These are the most fundamental expressions of democracy,” he said.

“The very party that is in power today spent decades organising protests, taking to the streets and questioning the governments of the day when it was in opposition. Had the same restrictions, intimidation and police crackdowns been used against them, many of those who occupy positions of power today might never have reached where they are. It is deeply hypocritical to celebrate protests as a democratic right when you are in opposition and treat the same act as a threat to public order when you come to power,” he added.

West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh accused the CJP of disrupting festive celebrations by organising a Tiranga march in Delhi during Navratri and Durga Puja celebrations, alleging that political protests at this time were creating tension in the country.

The senior BJP leader said India had a tradition of celebrating religious festivals across the country and accused the organisers of the march of preventing people from observing the festivities peacefully.

“India is a religious country. According to its traditions, Navratri and Durga Puja are celebrated across the country. By holding political protests, they are disrupting people’s celebrations and spreading tension in the country. The public will hold them accountable,” Mr. Ghosh added.

- PTI

The Press Council of India has issued fresh guidelines for journalists covering protests, asking them to carry valid ID cards, keep first-aid kits handy, plan escape routes and follow ethical reporting practices. The advisory, adopted on October 14 and issued on October 15, comes days after journalists reported being detained or injured while covering the October 10 Delhi protests.

Read more here

AAP leader Gopal Rai, in a post on X, extended support to the CJP’s ‘Tiranga Lahra Do’ campaign, alleging a “dictatorial crackdown” on protesting students demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. He called on AAP workers and office-bearers nationwide to join the campaign by carrying the tricolour, saying, “If the vote is saved, democracy will be saved. If democracy is saved, the nation will be saved.”

The Supreme Court declined to urgently hear a plea against NDMC’s order shutting Central Park ahead of CJP’s proposed protest.

-PTI

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said late Thursday (October 15, 2026) night that Delhi Police may detain him before today’s march, claiming he is under watch. “If we have to go to jail for waving the tricolour, we are ready for it,” he said.

-PTI

At least 43 journalists were temporarily detained, and some assaulted, while covering protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune and Mumbai on October 10, 2026, and October 11, 2026, the CPJ said. Authorities seized at least five phones, pressured a journalist to delete footage, and took some detainees to sites up to 65 km away.

Journalist Rana Ayyub told CPJ police beat her with a baton; The Caravan’s Ryan Thomas said he was hit on the head and slapped. Police continued the detentions even after the Supreme Court secured assurances on October 11, 2026, that journalists would not be impeded, CPJ said. Delhi Police did not respond to CPJ’s request for comment.

-The Hindu

Read more here

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, at a press conference in Lucknow on Wednesday (October 14, 2026), said Rahul Gandhi and his associates must understand that “democracy is not a license to spread chaos” or undermine constitutional institutions, adding that the Supreme Court’s remarks the previous day pointed in the same direction.

Recalling the 1975 Emergency, Mr. Singh said Indira Gandhi had “imprisoned democracy behind bars,” and alleged Mr. Gandhi was “keeping the Constitution in his pocket” while spreading anarchy. He cited the Congress’s 1993 changes to the Election Commission and former CEC N. Gopalaswami’s letter alleging Election.

-PTI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) and its local functionaries may have been the biggest bulk deleter of voters in Telangana and elsewhere in the country without adhering to prescribed procedure as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR).

Lakhs of voters who were bunched under the ‘Absent, Shifted, Dead, and Duplicate’ (ASDD) categories, were deleted by the respective Electoral Registration Officers on behalf of the ECI without following the procedure laid out in the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar has told the Supreme Court that “preventive measures” taken on October 10 were based on intelligence inputs, ever-changing ground situation, and with an objective of preventing any disturbance of public order.

The police chief said detainees of the October 10 protests were provided “hot, fresh and good meals”. They were not locked up in jails, but kept in makeshift centres. They were allowed to leave “after the occasion which necessitated their removal ceased to exist”. The police said the detainees were confined only for two to six hours.

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 15, 2026) directed the Union government to “enlighten” it about the prohibitory orders slapped on Delhi that led to mass detentions of people, particularly journalists, lawyers and protesters, during the October 10 demonstrations to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

“We want to be enlightened about the prohibitory orders issued under S. 163 BNSS (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023),” Justice Joymalya Bagchi, part of the two-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, said.

Top Congress leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, interacted on Thursday (October 15, 2026) with members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Indian Youth Congress (IYC), and the Seva Dal to commend them for their aggressive participation in protests demanding the ouster of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and an immediate halt to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

With thousands of names deleted from electoral rolls during phases 2 and 3 of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) using auto-generated Form 7s digitally signed by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), it has now emerged that this exercise is being carried out by State poll authorities without the Election Commission of India (ECI) issuing any written protocol or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Form 7 is the official voter application form issued by the ECI to object to a proposed entry or request the deletion of an existing name from the electoral rolls.

October 10th witnessed a massive display of state repression in the national capital. Brutal violence was unleashed against journalists, students, activists and citizens who wanted to protest at Jantar Mantar, seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.

The Supreme Court has recently issued notices to the Centre on a petition filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) challenging the lifelong immunity granted to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners (CEC and EC) for actions taken in discharge of official duties.

Traffic movement on certain roads in and around Connaught Place is likely to be affected from 3 p.m. on Friday (October 16, 2026) in view of a proposed gathering at Central Park, Connaught Place, by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), the Delhi Traffic Police said in an advisory.

In a post on X, Delhi Traffic Police stated, “In view of a proposed gathering at Central Park, Connaught Place, New Delhi, on October 16, traffic movement on certain roads in and around Connaught Place is likely to be affected from 03:00 p.m. onwards.”

It advised commuters to plan their journeys accordingly, allow sufficient travel time and use public transport wherever possible.

“Commuters are advised to plan their journeys accordingly, allow sufficient travel time, use public transport wherever possible and follow the directions of traffic personnel,” the advisory stated.

The traffic police further cautioned that diversions could be implemented depending on the prevailing situation and urged commuters to follow its official social media handles for real-time updates. -- ANI

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The Delhi High Court on Thursday (October 15, 2026) refused to restrain the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and its founder Abhijeet Dipke from holding a protest at Connaught Place’s Central Park on October 16, even as it took on record the police’s assurance that all possible steps would be taken to regulate and control protesters.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma heard a plea by a Connaught Place vendor seeking directions to the police to regulate the protest.

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​​Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)​​ founder ​​Abhijeet Dipke​​ on Thursday (October 15, 2026) accused the government of attempting to influence electoral outcomes through alleged voter deletions and asked whether the names of over 13 crore voters being struck off was a “setting”.

Addressing a press conference along with All India Students’ Association national president ​​Neha Bora​​, Students’ Federation of India leader Aishe Ghosh, All India Students’ Federation national president Viraaj Devang and actor Prakash Raj among others, Mr. Dipke also alleged that extraordinary restrictions have been imposed in the capital to prevent people from joining protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ​​Gyanesh Kumar​​‘s resignation.

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Protests against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Electoral Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar continued in the national capital for the sixth consecutive day on Thursday (October 15, 2026), with members of the All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the All India Youth Federation (AIYF) taking out a ‘Tiranga march’ through Connaught Place, reiterating their demands: rollback of the SIR, resignation of the CEC, and restoration of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has ordered the closure of Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16 and 17 ahead of the ‘ Lehra do Tiranga (Let the tricolour wave)’ march called by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke for Friday (October 16, 2026).

In a notice issued on Thursday (October 15, 2026), the NDMC said Central Park, the proposed venue for the march scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, would remain closed to the public for “administrative reasons”.

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Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has not yet published the list of 1.22 crore voters in the State who were issued notices, as part of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, for ‘logical discrepancies’ or for being ‘unmapped’ in previous SIRs.

As per the notification issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for Phase 3 of the SIR, the CEO of every State has been directed to publish on their websites the lists of persons to whom notices were generated for being unmapped or for logical discrepancies.

Hours after U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal extended support to the ongoing protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission of India, the Indian Ambassador to the U.S., Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said Ms. Jayapal’s comments amounted to “unacceptable interference” in India’s “internal affairs”.

Ms. Jayapal had said the SIR was similar to U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans for U.S. elections, allegedly aimed at removing parts of the U.S. electorate that was unlikely to vote for Mr. Trump.

Amid protests against the special intensive revision (SIR) and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday (October 15, 2026) announced the special summary revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 States and Union Territories, including poll-bound Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. The SSR seeks to enrol new voters and update electoral rolls.

SSR, an annual exercise, was stalled last year due to the launch of the now-controversial SIR. Election Commissioners S. S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi are understood to have raised this as an anomaly among other issues.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (October 15, 2026) accused Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his allies of attempting to turn the Supreme Court premises “into a protest site” and using “mob pressure to intimidate the judiciary”.

On Monday, Mr. Gandhi and other Opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court and submitted a petition on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls issue.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has ordered the closure of Central Park in Connaught Place on October 16 and 17 ahead of the ‘ Lehra do Tiranga (Let the tricolour wave)’ march called by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke for Friday (October 15, 2026).

The Delhi Police also warned that violations of the prohibitory orders would invite legal action and appealed to protesters and members of the public not to join any gathering in contravention of the restrictions.

Ahead of the Lehra Do Tiranga (Wave the Tricolour) demonstration called by youth organisations on Friday (October 16, 2026), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) announced that Central Park in Connaught Place will remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday (October 17, 2026), citing “administrative reasons”.

This comes as youth groups, including the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA), at a joint press conference on Thursday appealed to the public to gather for a mass flag-hoisting demonstration at the Central Park on Friday, as part of their ongoing agitation seeking the rollback of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.