New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday postponed its scheduled hearing on various petitions concerning the October 10 demonstrations in Delhi, moving the proceedings to Thursday. The deferred matters include pleas alleging the unlawful detention and physical assault of protesters and journalists, alongside contempt petitions stemming from the suspension of metro stations and disruptions across railway services.
The adjournment was necessitated by the sudden indisposition of Justice V Mohana, a member of the bench presided over by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and also featuring Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
At the commencement of the session, the Chief Justice advised counsel that Justice Mohana was unwell but had nevertheless logged into the proceedings. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested the bench to put off the hearing, emphasizing that the judge's health required priority. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, joined by other legal representatives, concurred with the postponement, leading the bench to reschedule all related matters for Thursday.
During the brief session, Solicitor General Mehta informed the justices that the Centre's deadline to submit a response to a contempt petition—which alleges non-compliance with prior Supreme Court directives regarding metro and train operations ahead of the October 10 protests—was set to expire that day.
Stating that the documentation was already prepared, the Solicitor General requested permission to incorporate additional details to ensure the submission was comprehensive. The bench granted an extension for the Centre to file the affidavit and directed that copies be shared promptly with the counsel representing the petitioners.
The underlying contempt filings challenge the actions of authorities who allegedly violated Supreme Court instructions prohibiting the total cessation of metro and railway services in the lead-up to the demonstrations.
These legal challenges stem from the protests staged in Delhi on October 10 directed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, which saw heavy travel restrictions and public movement curbs enforced throughout segments of the capital.
Aside from the detention and assault allegations, the Supreme Court was slated to review related cases concerning demonstrations held at Jantar Mantar during July. Additionally, the bench was anticipated to evaluate a separate legal challenge targeting amendments to the Election Commission law that grant prosecution immunity to the Chief Election Commissioner and fellow Election Commissioners.