Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge Vows to Meet CJI Surya Kant Amid Claims of an ‘Undeclared Emergency’ and Electoral Interference

In a brisk press briefing in Bengaluru on Sunday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters that both he and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi have written to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, seeking a brief audience between 4 pm and 5 pm the next day. "We will apprise the Chief Justice of what is happening to our democracy," Kharge said, adding that the meeting would be approached with "folded hands" – a polite way of saying they are not demanding anything, merely informing.

The congressman’s remarks came with a blistering critique of the government’s handling of the Election Commission. He singled out Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the CEC is curbing the independence of his fellow commissioners, effectively muting dissent within the poll‑panel. "The CEC is a constitutional body and should be free to take independent decisions. Instead, he is preventing them from doing so," Kharge asserted.

Kharge went on to argue that the entire electoral machinery is being weaponised to guarantee the ruling party’s victory. He used the phrase "vote chori" – a Hindi term for vote‑theft – to describe what he perceives as systematic manipulation, from electronic voting machines to alleged irregularities that have, in his view, enabled the Modi‑led government to stay in power at both the Centre and the states.

One of the more striking accusations centred on the 2023 Act that, according to Kharge, granted extraordinary protection to the Chief Election Commissioner and his deputies. "Modi gave this immunity not even to the President of India or the Chief Justice, but only to an Election Commissioner. Why?" he asked, implying that the law was crafted to shield the CEC from accountability for any alleged misconduct.

Beyond the election‑related grievances, Kharge painted a bleaker picture of the nation’s political climate. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were effectively declaring an "undeclared emergency," a situation that, in his words, is creating chaos and eroding democratic norms.

He backed his claims with numbers, pointing to the deployment of almost 32,000 police officers in Delhi on the day of a protest led by the Chief Justice’s (CJP) supporters at Jantar Mantar. "That level of security shows how scared the government is," Kharge said, referencing the arrests of several protestors, including senior opposition figures such as AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

The meeting with CJI Surya Kant is expected to focus on these concerns, though the Congress has made it clear that they are not seeking any immediate judicial order – merely an ear from the nation’s top jurist. Whether the Chief Justice will take up the issue, and how the judiciary might respond, remains to be seen.

For now, the political showdown appears set to continue, with Congress warning that the stakes involve not just an election, but the very fabric of Indian democracy.