A bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana will sit on Wednesday to review a contempt petition lodged by Advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi against Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chairperson D Thara.
The petition cites the Supreme Court’s October 9 ruling, which was issued while the Court was hearing a separate case on the metro shutdown triggered by the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Tripathi argues that the respondents violated Chief Justice Surya Kant’s directive that no ‘complete prohibition’ of metro services should be imposed, calling the blanket bans an ‘intentionally deliberate’ assault on citizens’ rights. The curbs have stranded thousands, halting daily commutes across the National Capital Territory.
In addition, Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy has filed an Article 32 writ petition seeking the release of political leaders, including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and the bench will hear both cases on the same day. The Supreme Court’s ruling will set the tone for how Delhi’s public transport and political detentions are handled moving forward.