Delhi Police have filed two FIRs over the INDIA bloc’s protest march to the Supreme Court on October 12, saying the march had no permission and leaders used a mini-truck to break barricades. The same evening, the court’s registry flagged 14 defects in the bloc’s joint petition against the SIR voter-roll exercise.
Updated: October 13, 2026, 10:25 IST
Quick Read
- Delhi Police registered FIRs at Barakhamba Road and Tilak Marg police stations over the INDIA bloc’s Monday march to the Supreme Court, citing a march without permission, barricades broken with a mini-truck, and graffiti on roads.
- Separately, the Supreme Court registry flagged 14 defects in the joint petition filed by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and nine other opposition leaders challenging the Election Commission’s SIR of electoral rolls.
- The defects include a blurred identity-card copy of Kharge, a Rs 220 court-fee shortfall, missing vakalatnamas from nine petitioners, and the naming of individual Election Commissioners as respondents. The petition was not on the court’s list for October 13, so no hearing today.
What happened on Monday
On Monday, October 12, INDIA bloc leaders and hundreds of supporters set out on a “March For Democracy” from central Delhi toward the Supreme Court, led by Rahul Gandhi. They were protesting alleged large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The march was stopped at Delhi Police barricades near Tilak Marg. According to police, the marchers did not have permission to go to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi’s legal team went to the court’s registry to file the bloc’s writ petition, later registered under diary number 64196/2026. In the evening, Gandhi and Kharge returned to the court with other leaders to sign petition documents.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi’s Supreme Court March Today: What We Know
The FIRs: what the police say
Two FIRs have been registered, according to Times Now (October 13, reporting by Sumit Sharma): one at Barakhamba Road police station, the second at Tilak Marg police station. The Times of India describes them as “multiple FIRs” at the same two stations.
The police case rests on three claims: the bloc had no permission to march to the Supreme Court, leaders used a mini-truck to break through barricades, and protesters left graffiti on roads.
This is not the first police action of the protest week. A rare Sunday Bench of the Supreme Court (Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana) had ordered that peaceful protesters must not be illegally detained — after detentions around the October 10 protests.
Also read: Supreme Court to Hear Delhi Protest Detention Case on Sunday
The 14 defects in the petition
In a parallel development on October 12, the Supreme Court registry pointed out 14 defects in the joint writ petition. The petition was filed by 11 opposition leaders: Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Saugata Roy (TMC), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Tejashwi Prasad Yadav (RJD), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena-UBT), M.A. Baby (CPI-M), D. Raja (CPI), Mahua Majhi (JMM), Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), and E.T. Mohammed Basheer (IUML).
The defects reported by IANS and other outlets are:
- Naming individual Election Commissioners — CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners S.S. Sandhu and Vivek Joshi — as respondents, and no justification given for adding individuals to the case, which is filed under Article 32 of the Constitution.
- No vakalatnamas (lawyer-authorisation documents) from nine of the eleven petitioners.
- No copy of an earlier related judgment attached.
- A blurred copy of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s identity card.
- A shortfall of Rs 220 in the court fee.
- Problems with legibility — documents in small fonts and other printing discrepancies.
Under the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, the legal team must fix all 14 defects before the case can be listed for a hearing. According to The World Opinion, the petition was not on the court’s supplementary list for October 13, so there will be no hearing today.
On the same day, the Chief Justice of India clarified that the Supreme Court had neither approved nor rejected changes to Form 6, and Delhi Police formally removed Jantar Mantar’s status as a designated protest site.
What happens next
Today, October 13, Rahul Gandhi has invited INDIA bloc MPs, civil society members and student organisations for a high tea at his residence, 5 Sunehri Bagh Road, at 5 pm, according to sources quoted by PTI and reported by Times Now. A joint press conference of INDIA bloc leaders is planned for the afternoon.
For the petition to move forward, the lawyers must cure the 14 registry defects — a paperwork exercise. The Congress Kerala unit deleted a social-media post targeting CJI Surya Kant after backlash, with the BJP demanding an apology, according to NDTV’s October 13 coverage.
The next concrete step: once all 14 defects in diary number 64196/2026 are corrected, the case becomes eligible for listing before a bench.
Also read: How to Check Your Name in the Voter List (2026 Guide)
FAQs
Why did Delhi Police file FIRs over the INDIA bloc march?
Police say the October 12 march to the Supreme Court had no permission, leaders broke barricades with a mini-truck, and protesters left graffiti on roads. Two FIRs were filed — at Barakhamba Road and Tilak Marg police stations. The Times of India describes them as multiple FIRs.
What are the 14 defects in the Supreme Court petition?
They are paperwork and procedure issues flagged by the court’s registry — not findings against the petition’s claims. They include missing lawyer-authorisation papers from nine petitioners, a blurred ID copy, a Rs 220 fee shortfall, naming individual Election Commissioners as respondents, and legibility problems. All must be fixed before the hearing.
Will the Supreme Court hear the petition today?
No. The petition was not placed on the court’s supplementary list for October 13, according to The World Opinion, because the 14 defects have not yet been rectified.
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