Story perspectives

Supreme Court orders CCTV preservation, hears Gandhi assault case Oct 26-27

By Drooid · Oct 17, 2026, 10:22 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Supreme Court Notices Rahul

Supreme Court issued notices to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition figures over the October 12 court march.
Chief Justice Surya Kant warned “nobody can browbeat the judiciary” after lawyers called the march political.
The bench ordered agencies to preserve CCTV footage from Supreme Court premises during the protest.
The court set a hearing on the alleged assault of a three-month-pregnant journalist by Gandhi for Oct 26-27.

Summary

Petitioners Demand Audit

The petition demands a committee led by a retired Supreme Court judge to audit SIR process.
It seeks production of all files, agendas and minutes from Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi.
Sandhu and Joshi logged fourteen objections to SIR decisions over ten months.
The plea challenges the amendment of Form 6 without revising the 1960 Registration of Electors Rules.
It questions the operation of ECINET and ERONET databases and requests access logs.

History

Historical Context

In 1976, the Supreme Court of India delivered the ADM Jabalpur judgment, upholding the government’s emergency powers and denying habeas corpus to detainees. The four-judge majority, led by Chief Justice Y.V. Chandrachud, voted 4-1, while Justice H.R. Khanna dissented, a decision later condemned by Parliament and civil society. Today, the Court’s renewed scrutiny of Rahul Gandhi’s protest footage and the Election Commission’s SIR audit echo the 1976 clash between judicial deference and political accountability. The episode reminds lawmakers that judicial independence can reshape electoral oversight, prompting legislators to consider reforms that prevent repeat of emergency-era overreach.

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Supreme Court Notices Rahul

Supreme Court issued notices to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other opposition figures over the October 12 court march.
Chief Justice Surya Kant warned “nobody can browbeat the judiciary” after lawyers called the march political.
The bench ordered agencies to preserve CCTV footage from Supreme Court premises during the protest.
The court set a hearing on the alleged assault of a three-month-pregnant journalist by Gandhi for Oct 26-27.

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