Delhi Police filed four First Information Reports against INDIA Bloc participants on October 12, accusing them of breaching prohibitory orders during their 'March for Democracy.' The charges center on alleged barricade destruction and road defacement. Two FIRs originated at Tilak Marg station, while Mandir Marg and Barakhamba Road stations recorded one each.
The crackdown coincided with a high-stakes legal maneuver. Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, and Mallikarjun Kharge, Rajya Sabha LoP, joined forces with Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Supriya Sule, and Sanjay Raut to file a Supreme Court petition. The joint plea targets alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, specifically citing mass voter deletions.
The Supreme Court saw the arrival of the coalition leadership later that evening to sign affidavit documents supporting their electoral challenge. The petitioners include a broad coalition: CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, JMM MP Mahua Majhi, and IUML leader E T Mohammed Basheer. Their legal offensive aims to counter what the opposition describes as systematic voter suppression.
Parallel to the street protests, authorities launched a digital crackdown. Police registered separate FIRs against the 'spread of disinformation' and removed approximately 500 social media posts. Officials claimed these posts linked to Pakistan's ISI and published misleading content to incite unrest.
Undercurrents of institutional conflict simmer in the background. The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected to decisions on voter additions, deletions, and Form 6 changes. The Election Commission maintains that these written objections are part of the 'normal deliberative process,' dismissing the narrative of internal fracture.
The Supreme Court will now review the INDIA Bloc's petition regarding the SIR process. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police investigation into the October 12 protest violations continues, with investigators examining evidence of barricade damage and public order breaches.