NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Leaders of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party pledged to continue demonstrations demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation after police detained thousands of protesters in Delhi over the weekend.
The dispute reached the Supreme Court on Monday as opposition leaders and supporters marched through central Delhi and submitted a petition challenging the nationwide revision of electoral rolls.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and fellow leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were detained Saturday after their flight from Mumbai landed in Delhi. An executive magistrate released them Sunday on bonds requiring them to maintain peace and good behavior for one year, Delhi Police said.
Dipke said those conditions did not prevent peaceful demonstrations.
“Haven’t signed any bond that says we won’t protest. We will hit the streets again,” he wrote on X.
Police reported detaining about twenty-four hundred people Saturday, with most released that night. That official count differs from the higher figures circulated in some reports. Hundreds more faced detention Sunday as small groups resumed demonstrations.
Authorities denied permission for Saturday’s planned gathering at Jantar Mantar and imposed extensive restrictions. Metro station closures, canceled trains and suspended mobile internet disrupted travel and communications in parts of the capital.
During a special sitting Sunday, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana directed authorities to maintain normal metro and railway services and restore internet access, subject to lawful public-order restrictions. The court also directed that peaceful gatherings must not lead to illegal detention and recorded assurances that lawyers and journalists could perform their duties without obstruction.
The protests center on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. CJP supporters and opposition parties allege that eligible voters have lost their registrations and that the process favors Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
The commission denies favoring any party and says voters whose names were wrongly deleted can re-enroll. The BJP rejects manipulation allegations and accuses opposition groups of discrediting legitimate election procedures.
Monday’s march proceeded peacefully under heavy security. The petition, whose signatories include opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, seeks an audit of deletions, notice and hearing safeguards for affected voters, and an interim suspension of the revision.
Delhi Police announced that Jantar Mantar would no longer serve as the designated protest venue and identified three alternatives. CJP leaders requested a date for another peaceful demonstration.
