India's Supreme Court opposes complete transport shutdown before Delhi protest

India's Supreme Court said on October 9 that metro and railway services must not be completely prohibited before planned protests in Delhi the next day, stressing citizens' fundamental rights to association and peaceful protest.

Senior lawyers raised concerns about restrictions in the capital ahead of a demonstration demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The court directed authorities to allow metro and other railway services to operate in a suitably regulated manner.

The Union Home Ministry instructed states and union territories to coordinate with Delhi Police and take preventive steps to stop Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) supporters from mobilising towards the capital. It cited public-order risks and intelligence suggesting protesters might try to enter despite police refusing permission for the gathering.

The ministry also called for real-time intelligence sharing and strict implementation of preventive measures. CJP and other groups alleged on October 8 that supporters were being detained across the country.

CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka claimed that co-in-charge Deepak Baliyan had been detained in Rajasthan. He also alleged that thousands of volunteers had been detained in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Those accounts remain attributed to the organisers.

The opposition INDIA bloc was scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu on the evening of October 9. Before the meeting, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi invoked Jawaharlal Nehru's parliamentary address of August 14, 1947, and its message of hope at India's independence.