Anti-CEC protests highlight: Delhi HC dismisses Neha Bora’s plea, directs her to sign personal bond, peace surety
Anti-CEC protests highlight: A march against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway in central Delhi on Friday, with participants heading towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters.
Anti-CEC protests highlight: A march against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway in central Delhi on Friday, with participants heading towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters....Read More
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was invited to join the march on Friday, organised by People Against SIR, a week-old alliance of students, farmers and civil society groups, from Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi's Connaught Place to the Election Commission’s office near Patel Chowk.
The march was called to "restore democracy", demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and press for the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
‘Har Gali mein Jantar Mantar’
"The People's March to Reclaim Democracy will not request police permission anywhere," the platform had said in a statement on October 18.
It also warned the police, paramilitary personnel and prison authorities against using force on peaceful protesters.
The platform has planned a “No SIR” campaign under the slogan “Har Gali Jantar Mantar, Har Gaon Jantar Mantar, Mera Ghar Jantar Mantar”.
The People Against SIR group was formed on October 14 at Surjeet Bhavan in New Delhi by groups representing farmers, workers, women, students, Adivasis, Dalits and minorities.
The platform has alleged that the SIR exercise is illegal and demanded that the voter lists be reset to their pre-2024 version and updated through social audits as laid down in the Election Commission Manual and CAG guidelines.
Why CEC Gyanesh Kumar is under fire
CEC Kumar is at the centre of a controversy involving the Election Commission following an investigative report by The Indian Express that claimed Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions and procedures linked to the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission has rejected these allegations, saying that major decisions, including the SIR of electoral rolls, had been taken unanimously by the full commission.
RTI reveals Cabinet Secretariat sent election commissioners’ letters to CEC
The Cabinet Secretariat forwarded the letters written to the Cabinet Secretary by election commissioners Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi about the alleged misconduct of senior deputy election commissioner (DEC) Maneesh Garg to the office of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, in addition to sending them to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), according to information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application.
A document released in response to the application shows that on August 3, the secretariat proposed seeking CEC Kumar's opinion on the letters.
Another, on August 4, noted that the letters from the commissioners were in their individual capacity and not a formal communication from the Election Commission of India.
The only response to the two commissioners was an acknowledgement that their letters had been received. The acknowledgements dated August 5 were copied to the secretary, department of personnel and training (DoPT), the establishment officer in DoPT, and the principal private secretary to the chief election commissioner.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 10:37:51 PM IST
This blog has now been closed.
- 23 Oct 2026, 10:28:03 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP's Ashutosh Ranka says surety verification complete, fresh date set for third week of November
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP's Ashutosh Ranka said the verification process for their sureties had been completed successfully and a new date had been set for the third week of November.
On the notice received from the Crime Branch, Ranka said, "We are waiting to hear from them. We have not received a specific date yet. We could not make it on the previous date, and we had informed them about that. They said they would confirm the timings, so we are waiting for the Crime Branch to get back to us."
(ANI)
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- 23 Oct 2026, 07:51:58 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: ‘Government of India is at war with its own citizens’, says Saurav Das
Reports coming in that phone numbers of young protesters are now being barred by the government. Why is Modi so scared of democratic protests? And for how long can such tactics work? Government of India is at war with its own citizens.
— Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) October 23, 2026Anti-CEC protests LIVE: “Reports coming in that phone numbers of young protesters are now being barred by the government. Why is Modi so scared of democratic protests? And for how long can such tactics work? Government of India is at war with its own citizens,” said CJP's Saurav Das on Friday.
- 23 Oct 2026, 07:08:16 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Delhi HC dismisses Neha Bora’s plea, directs her to sign personal bond, peace surety
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora petition challenging Delhi police’s notice directing her to furnish personal bond of ₹10,000 along with one surety to maintain peace during the period of inquiry following her participation in “Lehra Do Tiranga” march on October 16.
Justice Subramonium Prasad passed the order.
"Writ petition is rejected. However, there are certain directions. All the material to be furnished to her," the Court said, according to Bar and Bench.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 06:06:55 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Delhi HC order on Neha Bora’s plea against SEM peace bond notice delayed till 7 pm
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Delhi HC order on Neha Bora’s plea against SEM peace bond notice delayed till 7 pm, Bar and Bench reported.
- 23 Oct 2026, 05:49:14 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Delhi Police detain student activist, civil society members
#InPhotos | Delhi Police detain student activists and civil society members during a Tiranga March in New Delhi, protesting against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and demanding transparency in electoral rolls under the SIR drive. 📸: @rajkraj_ht /Hindustan Times 📲 For News on the go, download HT app: https://t.co/hzQd6fwLzk
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) October 23, 2026Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Delhi Police detain student activists and civil society members during a Tiranga March in New Delhi, protesting against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and demanding transparency in electoral rolls under the SIR drive.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 05:05:10 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP's Ashutosh Ranka says surety verification complete, fresh date set for third week of November
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP's Ashutosh Ranka said the verification process for their sureties had been completed successfully and a new date had been set for the third week of November.
On the notice received from the Crime Branch, Ranka said, "We are waiting to hear from them. We have not received a specific date yet. We could not make it on the previous date, and we had informed them about that. They said they would confirm the timings, so we are waiting for the Crime Branch to get back to us."
(ANI)
- 23 Oct 2026, 04:41:45 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: LDF student outfits protest in Keralam, seek CEC’s removal
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: On the day new Keralam Governor Om Prakash Mathur assumed office, student organisations affiliated with the LDF on Friday took out a protest march to Lok Bhavan here, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR row, officials said.
The leader of the opposition in the Keralam assembly, Pinarayi Vijayan, inaugurated the march.
Police said the protest march began at 3 pm, with activists from the SFI, AISF, KSC(M), SSAI and AIDSO participating.
(Inputs from PTI)
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- 23 Oct 2026, 03:55:26 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: More visuals from march show protesters being detained
Delhi Police have started detaining some of the protesters, who were marching to the ECI office against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Track Anti-CEC protests LIVE in HT App 👉🏻https://t.co/GCGEc2SS96 (📽️: @jignasa_sinha) https://t.co/DSRGY68OdR
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) October 23, 2026Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Several protesters were detained during their march to the ECI office in the Capital today.
The march was called to "restore democracy", demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and press for the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
- 23 Oct 2026, 03:24:54 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Visuals show several protesters being detained in Delhi
VIDEO | Delhi: Several protesters detained during a march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in central Delhi. The protesters were heading towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters to protest against the alleged deletion of voters. https://t.co/XrcaoYnGpQ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 23, 2026Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Several protesters were detained during a march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in central Delhi.
The protesters were heading towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 03:12:24 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Detentions begin in Delhi
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Police have started detaining some of the protesters, who were marching to the ECI office against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
(Inputs from Jignasa Sinha)
- 23 Oct 2026, 03:00:55 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Punjab assembly moves resolution against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The Punjab assembly on Friday tabled an official resolution moved by finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, calling for an independent inquiry into chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the administrative decisions governing recent voter registration updates.
The state government-backed resolution demands an impartial, non-partisan investigation to determine whether procedural violations, arbitrary administrative changes, or unauthorised deletions compromised the voting framework ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
(Inputs from HT Correspondent)
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- 23 Oct 2026, 02:48:21 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: TVK, allies walk out of all-party electoral roll meeting, demand CEC resignation
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu along with its alliance partners on Friday, staged a walk out from the all party meeting led by the chief electoral officer Archana Patnaik at the Secretariat in Chennai.
Briefing reporters later, minister for energy resources and law CTR Nirmal Kumar said right from the beginning, TVK has been opposing the SIR exercise.
"If it was not conducted, the TVK would have won in more than 160 seats in the April 23 Assembly polls. But, during the SIR exercise, massive errors has taken place. In continuation to that, demanding that he take responsibility, we demanded chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation." Kumar told reporters at the Secretariat after staging the walk-out.
Stressing that the party's demand is to correct the errors that had occurred due to the SIR exercise, he said, "the demand for chief election commissioner's resignation is gaining strength. We had already pointed out that all the women and youth were removed by conducting the SIR exercise."
(Inputs from S Vijay Karthik)
- 23 Oct 2026, 02:44:11 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka arrive at police station
#WATCH | CJP’s Sourav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ajinkya Shinde arrive at Mandir Marg Police Station in Delhi https://t.co/WlMGEhdOsW
— ANI (@ANI) October 23, 2026Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP leaders Saurav Das, Ashutosh Ranka and Ashutosh Ranka arrived at Mandir Marg Police Station in the national capital, day after they failed to appear after being summoned to join the police probe in two cases against them.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 02:28:42 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat joins march, vows ‘struggle will continue’
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat has joined the protest march to the ECI office in Delhi. Speaking to news agency PTI, she said, “Our struggle will continue until CEC Gyanesh Kumar resigns.”
- 23 Oct 2026, 02:24:36 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Yogendra Yadav joins march to ECI
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Activist Yogendra Yadav has joined the protest march to ECI office in Delhi. In a post on X, he wrote, “Gyanesh Kumar Must Resign. Roll Back SIR. Repeal the 2023 Election Commissioners Appointment Act.”
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- 23 Oct 2026, 02:12:58 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: March begins in Delhi, visuals show protesters heading towards EC office
VIDEO | Delhi: 'People Against SIR' march towards EC office begins to demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) #Delhi https://t.co/bo3sqOPf3J
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 23, 2026Anti-CEC protests LIVE: A march against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began in central Delhi on Friday, with participants heading towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters to protest against the alleged deletion of voters.
The march, called by the Delhi Coordination Committee of People Against SIR -- a people's collective -- started near Gole Dak Khana, at the intersection of Kalibari Marg and Bhai Vir Singh Marg.
Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) and the Students' Federation of India (SFI) have extended their support to the protest, with activists from Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh participating as well.
Security was tightened near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, with Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel deployed in large numbers ahead of the march.
- 23 Oct 2026, 01:56:27 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Centre extends deployment of 273 CAPF companies amid flash protest fears, says report
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The Union home ministry has extended for the second time the deployment of 273 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies in the national capital till October 31 in view of the possibility of "flash protests" by political and other groups, news agency PTI reported citing official sources.
The extension was approved at the request of the Delhi Police, they said, adding that a similar extension had been sanctioned in mid-October.
Officials said the Delhi Police had informed the ministry that there was a possibility of flash protests being undertaken by political and other outfits in various "sensitive" locations of the city. The extension of the deployment was essential in order to ensure proper law and order, they said.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 01:37:59 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Traffic advisory issued for Delhi ahead of march
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The Delhi Traffic Police has issued a traffic advisory ahead of the movement of a “large number of people” from Bangla Sahib Gurudwara at around 2pm today.
The traffic divesions will remain in police from 1pm to 5pm on the affected routes. The advisory urged commuters to:
• Avoid unnecessary travel near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, Connaught Place, Parliament Street and Jantar Mantar during the aforementioned period.
• Plan their journeys in advance and allow additional time to reach their destinations.
• Use alternative routes, wherever feasible, to avoid congestion.
• Avoid unnecessary travel towards Astha Kunj Park, Nehru Place, and adjoining roads during the programme.
• Use alternative routes wherever possible to avoid congestion.
• Avoid roadside and unauthorised parking near the venue.
- 23 Oct 2026, 12:54:44 PM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: RTI reveals Cabinet Secretariat sent election commissioners’ letters to CEC
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The Cabinet Secretariat forwarded the letters written to the Cabinet Secretary by election commissioners Sukhbir Sandhu and Vivek Joshi about the alleged misconduct of senior deputy election commissioner (DEC) Maneesh Garg to the office of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, in addition to sending them to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), according to information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application.
A document released in response to the application shows that on August 3, the secretariat proposed seeking CEC Kumar's opinion on the letters.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 11:45:15 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: RSS leader questions CJP funding source
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: RSS national executive member Indresh Kumar on Thursday questioned the funding behind the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) campaigns and alleged that a small number of youths had been led astray by 'anarchic' elements.
"These protests aren't just continuing; rather, the participants keep abandoning old issues to latch onto new ones. So, let’s focus on the core question: are they trying to bring about a situation in India similar to what we see in Bangladesh—a regime characterised by anarchy, the oppression of minorities, the massacre of those who follow the path of Sufism, and the displacement of decent, ordinary people? This is the most significant and pressing issue of the moment. I ask everyone: where do these young people, and others involved—get the funding for all this? It is becoming increasingly obvious to the world, which is why you can see that the turnout at these protests is dwindling; participation is clearly on the decline," he said, according to ANI.
- 23 Oct 2026, 11:38:28 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: INDIA bloc plans next round of protests
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The INDIA bloc’s next round of protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar may begin in early November, following the upcoming rally at the Ramlila Ground on November 1.
The Opposition leaders have started discussing ideas for another round of protests after the series of marches in central Delhi in the second week of October.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 11:09:38 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Suspense over Dipke's participation in protest march
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has been invited to join a protest march, organised by the ‘People Against SIR’ group, against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
However, there has been no official confirmation yet as to whether he will join the march.
- 23 Oct 2026, 10:27:53 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP leaders scheduled to appear before SEM court today
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Cockroach Janta Party co-convenors Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das are scheduled to appear before the SEM court on Friday, as the Crime Branch continues its investigation into the case.
The Crime Branch had summoned them for questioning on Thursday, but they did not appear.
Although no fresh notice has been issued by the Crime Branch for Friday, the three have been asked to appear for questioning anytime between 10 am and 4 pm.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 10:12:18 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: March to begin from Bangla Sahib Gurdwara
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The march, organised by People Against SIR, a week-old alliance of students, farmers and civil society groups, is scheduled to take place from Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi's Connaught Place to the Election Commission’s office near Patel Chowk.
- 23 Oct 2026, 09:59:57 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: ‘Democracy means respecting mandate’, Uttarakhand CM slams Congress on protests
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said that the BJP will run a nationwide campaign titled "Save democracy, remove anarchy", describing the situation in the country over the last few days as "very dangerous for democracy".
Launching a sharp attack against the Congress over its protests and criticisms amid the row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Dhami said democracy means "respecting the people's mandate, not blaming institutions for defeat."
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- 23 Oct 2026, 09:45:30 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Any fresh impeachment motion against CEC will follow due process, says Om Birla
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said any fresh impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar would be examined in accordance with the laid-down procedures.
“We will follow the process when the motion is moved. Just as there is a procedure for the impeachment of judges, there is a process laid down for the CEC too… It will be followed if the opposition moves a motion,” Birla said at a press conference ahead of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, which India is hosting.
- 23 Oct 2026, 09:32:46 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: CJP's Ranka, Das likely to get fresh summons today
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Cockroach Janta Party co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka will be issued a fresh notice to join the police probe in the two cases against them after they failed to appear earlier, officials aware of the matter told HT.
A senior police officer said that the Delhi Police crime branch had issued a notice to Das, Ranka, and CJP member Ajinkya Shinde to join the probe on Thursday. Read more here.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 09:16:51 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Kharge demands removal of CEC, repeal of immunity law
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge as demanded the scrapping of the 2023 law granting immunity to election commissioners, accusing the Centre of undermining the poll body's independence and seeking the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he asked, "Are you above the Constitution?" and alleged that the government was shielding election commissioners from accountability.
"Repeal the law you brought in to grant them immunity," he said, referring to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which provides protection against civil and criminal proceedings for acts done or words spoken by election commissioners in the discharge of their official duties, subject to the provisions of the Act.
(Inputs from PTI)
- 23 Oct 2026, 09:13:55 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: Farmers' body to join protest today
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the People Against SIR platform have called for protests across the country on Friday against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The protests will be held at district and tehsil headquarters, state capitals and in Delhi, where People Against SIR has called for a march to the Election Commission's office, according to the organisers.
The SKM, which had spearheaded the 2020-21 agitation against three central farm laws, said its member organisations would submit a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu through district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates, demanding the scrapping of the SIR exercise and the restoration of voting rights to 13.41 crore citizens allegedly deleted from electoral rolls.
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- 23 Oct 2026, 09:09:21 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: What is People Against SIR, the group organising the march?
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: The People Against SIR group was formed on October 14 at Surjeet Bhavan in New Delhi by groups representing farmers, workers, women, students, Adivasis, Dalits and minorities.
The platform has alleged that the SIR exercise is illegal and demanded the voter lists be reset to their pre-2024 version and updated through social audits as laid down in the Election Commission Manual and CAG guidelines.
- 23 Oct 2026, 08:36:16 AM IST
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: ‘Har gali mein Jantar Mantar’ march today
Anti-CEC protests LIVE: A march is scheduled today, organised by People Against SIR, a week-old alliance of students, farmers and civil society groups in the national capital from Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Connaught Place to the Election Commission’s office near Patel Chowk, to "restore democracy", demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and press for the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Among the prominent figures invited include Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke, actor Prakash Raj, student leaders Neha Bora and Aishe Ghosh, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and activist Tushar Gandhi.
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