Supreme Court Schedules Special Sunday Hearing on Contempt Petition Tied to CJP Protest

On Sunday, October 11, the apex court will sit for a special hearing on a contempt petition that alleges willful disobedience of its October 9 order. The bench – Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana – is set to meet at 10:30 a.m., according to the cause list posted on the court’s website.

The petition, filed by advocate Chand Qureshi, names Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chairperson D Thara as respondents. It claims they deliberately flouted the court’s instruction that no total ban on metro or train services should be imposed while the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was planning its rally.

Despite the clear warning, entry and exit gates at 45 metro stations remained shut, and the authorities continued to enforce a blanket closure. “This brutal assault on the fundamental rights of citizens and sheer disregard for the orders of this court amounts to a deliberate, intentional attempt,” the petition reads, urging the court to act with an “iron hand.”

Earlier, the Supreme Court had reminded officials that any restrictions must consider commuters coming from the National Capital Region, emphasizing that “they cannot bring everything to a halt.” It ordered a proportionate regulation of transport services and asked for a compliance report within four days.

In a related matter slated for the same hearing, TMC MP Menaka Guruswamy raised concerns over a spate of political detentions. She argued that preventive arrests should not be used to stifle peaceful protest, especially against former state leaders.

Police actions on October 10 saw barricades erected and nearly 3,000 people detained across Delhi, including opposition figures such as Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar. The crackdown aimed to stop a CJP march at Jantar Mantar that demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter‑roll irregularities. Among those arrested were CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, spokesperson Saurav Das, co‑convenor Ashutosh Ranka and YouTuber‑activist Dhruv Rathee.

The outcome of the Sunday hearing could set a precedent for how strictly the judiciary’s directives are enforced in matters of public order and civil liberties.