Supreme Court rebuffs opposition meeting request, warns against politicising the bench

On Monday, a bench headed by CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana reiterated that the Supreme Court must not be drawn into political conflicts, rejecting a private audience request from opposition figures Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. Kant stressed the court’s duty to hear cases against the Election Commission and the SIR, promising priority treatment. The bench also cautioned against allowing political parties to use the courtroom as a battlefield while hearing a writ petition by senior advocate Atmaram Nadkarni, who complained that protests blocked his ability to represent a client in international arbitration.

SCBA president Pradeep Rai emphasized that the right to protest must coexist with the right of citizens to move freely, and the court set both petitions for hearing on Tuesday alongside complaints from MPs M A Baby, Manoj Jha, Menaka Guruswamy and others alleging police overreach. Additional submissions from advocate G Sankaranarayanan highlighted concerns over the detention of senior advocate Shadan Farasat and called for police restraint. Kant concluded that protests should be confined to designated locations, keeping the court’s premises free from political strife.