New Delhi, Oct 15 The Supreme Court on Thursday sought response from the Election Commission and others on a plea filed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and 12 other opposition leaders over alleged large-scale voter deletions and SIR irregularities.
Following are the highlights of the apex court’s hearing on a batch of pleas related to SIR and protests in Delhi:
* Nobody can browbeat the judiciary, CJI Surya Kant said while hearing a plea concerning the October 12 march to the top court by Gandhi and several other opposition leaders.
* We will ask one of the petitioners about his conduct on the next date of hearing, says SC while hearing the plea filed by Gandhi and others.
* SC issued notice to Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, the Congress party and others on a plea against the October 12 march to the top court.
* SC sought responses from the Centre and Delhi Police on a plea challenging an October 11 order de-notifying Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and notifying three alternative venues for demonstrations.
* SC issued notices to the Election Commission and others on a plea filed by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi seeking to set aside the SIR of electoral rolls.
* SC sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea seeking framing of guidelines governing interaction of police and law-enforcement authorities with journalists during protests and crowd control operations.
* SC directs police not to take any coercive action against a woman journalist, against whom a case has been filed by a Delhi Police officer alleging casteist remarks and public humiliation against him during a protest near Jantar Mantar here.
* SC said it was not taking cognisance of media reports suggesting that government authorities tendered unconditional apologies in contempt proceedings.
* SC asked the Delhi Police to submit prohibitory orders issued under Section 163 of the BNSS, formerly Section 144 of the CrPC, which restricted public gatherings and demonstrations in the national capital on various dates over the past fortnight.
* SC instructed all law enforcement agencies to preserve CCTV footage and other digital evidence related to the protests.
(PTI News)
