The Supreme Court will hold a special hearing on Sunday, October 11, over allegations that authorities ignored its directions on public transport restrictions during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.   A bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana will hear a contempt petition filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi against senior officials over continued Metro station closures and train cancellations.   The court will also hear a habeas corpus petition filed by senior advocate and Trinamool Congress MP Menaka Guruswamy challenging the preventive detention of Opposition leaders, including four former chief ministers.   The petitions allege violations of fundamental rights and earlier court directions. The allegations are yet to be examined by the court. (PC: India Today)

4 former chief ministers were detained in Delhi on Saturday as police cracked down on protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar were among those detained while trying to join the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar. Banerjee was detained along with five Trinamool Congress MPs after staging a protest in central Delhi. “The government is misbehaving with us,” she said in a video message. Kejriwal urged young people to continue protesting against alleged vote theft. Several opposition and student leaders were also detained.  

Actor Imran Khan was detained by Mumbai Police on Saturday during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He was taken into custody at August Kranti Maidan, where people had gathered in support of the Cockroach Janta Party’s protest in Delhi. Before his detention, Khan said he had come as a citizen to question restrictions on movement and the suppression of people’s voices. He said he had no demands and was not part of any organisation. Earlier, at least 200 protesters were detained at the same location. The number later rose to over 400.  

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has warned that he may launch a hunger strike or a march if protesters detained in Delhi are not released by Sunday. He called the situation in India an “undeclared emergency”. The detentions came during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged election irregularities. Several leaders and activists, including CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Yogendra Yadav and Dhruv Rathee, were detained. Wangchuk said he had hoped for unity and peace during the protest. He had earlier led a 26-day hunger strike in July over alleged examination irregularities.  

More than 3,000 people have been detained across Delhi during protests called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The party and the All India Students’ Association (AISA) called for a gathering at Jantar Mantar. They are protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of voter list manipulation. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and several party leaders were also detained after their flight landed in Delhi. Former chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and Manik Sarkar were among those detained. Heavy security was deployed across the capital.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on October 10 urged supporters to march towards Delhi’s Jantar Mantar despite police restrictions and the denial of permission for its planned demonstration. Following the detention of key organiser Abhijeet Dipke, CJP leader Ajinkya Shinde called on protesters to continue their mobilisation, declaring that wherever police stopped them could become their protest site. The demonstration seeks Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Delhi Police deployed heavy security and barricades, citing public safety and law-and-order concerns. (PC: HT)

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) released a pre-recorded video of founder Abhijeet Dipke on October 10, 2026, after Delhi Police detained him and fellow leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka upon their arrival from Mumbai. Anticipating possible detention, Dipke had recorded the message the previous night, naming organisation in-charge Ajinkya Shinde to lead the movement in their absence. The protest at Jantar Mantar targets Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral roll revisions. Shinde urged supporters to continue protesting despite police restrictions and detention of party leaders.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and All India Students’ Association (AISA) leader Neha Bora were among those detained amid heightened security and protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on October 10, 2026. The demonstrations, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and other groups, demanded Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Police imposed extensive restrictions, including barricades and transport disruptions, while detaining political leaders, activists and protesters. Opposition figures criticised the crackdown, raising concerns about democratic freedoms and the right to peaceful protest.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on October 10 criticised the extensive security restrictions imposed in Delhi ahead of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar. Calling the measures regressive and repressive, he cited heavy police deployment, barricades, metro station closures, train cancellations and internet suspension. Tharoor argued that citizens should be allowed to peacefully question the integrity of elections and demanded the release of detained protesters. He used the term “Emer-GenZ” to criticise the crackdown, warning that restricting dissent could deepen public suspicion about the Election Commission and undermine democratic freedoms.

Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was detained by Mumbai Police on October 10, 2026, while travelling to a planned protest at August Kranti Maidan in support of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) demonstration in Delhi. Gandhi, who heads the civil society organisation Hum Bharat Ke Log, was detained in Bandra along with associates and taken to DN Nagar police station. The protest aimed to oppose alleged electoral irregularities and demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Gandhi claimed on social media that he had been arrested, but police maintained that he was detained, not formally arrested.